TREASURY

Correspondence

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to improve the Department's performance in replying to correspondence from members of the public.

John Healey: HM Treasury aims to reply to correspondence from the public within 15 working days of receipt. Against that target, performance has improved from 36 per cent. in 1999–2000 to 79 per cent. in 2004–05. This has been achieved through a mix of improving IT support, management information and more robust targeting and monitoring. Systems and processes are continuously under review to identify areas for further improvements.

Correspondence

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to improve the Department's performance in replying to hon. Members' correspondence.

John Healey: HM Treasury aims to reply to hon. Members' correspondence within 15 working days of receipt. Against that target, performance has improved from 47 per cent. in 1999–2000 to 86 per cent. in 2004–05. This has been achieved through a mix of improving IT support, management information and more robust targeting and monitoring. Systems and processes are continuously under review to identify areas for further improvements.

Environmental Taxes

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental taxes to inform further policy development on the Government's sustainable development strategy, with particular reference to climate change.

John Healey: Chapter 7 of Budget 2005, Investing for our future: Fairness and opportunity for Britain's hard-working families", HC 372 contained assessments of all the main environmental taxes. The Government also published at Budget 2005 an independent evaluation of the Climate Change levy (CCL), Modelling the initial effects of the climate change levy", by Cambridge Econometrics at Budget 2005 which is available at www.hmrc.gov.uk The Climate Change Programme Review, launched by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in September 2004 is looking at Government policies more widely to tackle climate change and aims to report by the end of the year.

London Underground

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to meet the Mayor of London to discuss the renegotiation of the public-private partnership deal for the London underground; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: This is a matter for the Department of Transport. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport made a statement last week.

Railways (Employment)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed in the rail sector in each Government region; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Lynne Featherstone, dated 28 October 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about employment in the rail sector. (21867)
	The attached table contains information from the Annual Business Inquiry on the number of employee jobs in the rail sector in each Government office region in 2003, the latest year for which information is available. The figures for the North East region have been combined with those for Yorkshire and the Humber in order to avoid the potential disclosure of information supplied under the Statistics of Trade Act.
	The rail sector has been defined to include Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes 35.20 (manufacture of railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock) and 60.10 (transport via railways). Other rail sector employee jobs, for example those in maintenance and repair of rolling stock, transportation via metro systems and passenger terminal activities are excluded as they cannot be identified separately from jobs in other sectors.
	
		Employee jobs in the rail sector(1) in each Government Office Region: 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 North West 3,800 
			 North East and Yorkshire and the Humber(2) 10,100 
			 East Midlands 5,100 
			 West Midlands 9,400 
			 Eastern 2,400 
			 London 13,500 
			 South East 6,500 
			 South West 3,900 
			 Wales 1,800 
			 Scotland 4,400 
			 Great Britain 60,900 
		
	
	(1)Rail sector defined as SIC codes 35.20 and 60.10.
	(2)This region is formed by combining figures for the North East and those for Yorkshire and the Humber to avoid publishing disclosive data.
	Source:
	Annual Business Inquiry (2003).

Sustainable Development

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of (a) new building work and (b) refurbishment of buildings of (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department has since May 1997 been subject to environmental assessment using BREEAM and BREEAM98.

John Healey: The HM Treasury building at 1 Horse Guards Road, London was assessed as excellent" under BREEAM 98. The HM Revenue and Customs refurbishment of 100 Parliament Street was rated as very good" under BREEAM 2003. The Office of Government Commerce have BREAAM assessments at good" or above in place for 67 per cent. of their estate.
	HM Revenue and Customs do not hold information in the format and covering the time scales requested. Their STEPS PFI contract, which covers the majority of the HMRC estate, includes a requirement that all alternative facilities or refurbishments over £250,000 achieve a very good" or excellent" BREEAM rating.
	BREEAM assessments are not held for the Debt Management Office the Government Actuary's Department, Royal Mint or the Office for National Statistics.

Tax Avoidance Schemes

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will undertake investigations into tax avoidance schemes by British arms of accountancy houses which have admitted unlawful conduct in the creation or selling of such schemes in the United States.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer to him of 6 July 2005, Official Report, column 436W, concerning promoters of tax avoidance schemes.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of those receiving child care tax credit have had an overpayment in each month since its introduction; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the recovery of overpayments on those receiving child care tax credit.

Dawn Primarolo: Monthly overpayment figures are not available as information on the number of tax credit awards with overpayments is available only after family incomes and circumstances have been finalised.

Tax Credits

Mike Wood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he has issued to HM Revenue and Customs in relation to dealing with tax credit overpayments since the Paymaster General's statement to the House on 22 June.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Mudie), on 26 October 2005, Official Report, column's 368–69W.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update table 1 on cost of collection (pence per pound collected) from appendix 1, page 150 of the Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2004 to include the latest data for tax credits for 2004–05.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 949W.
	A figure for total tax credits payments made in the financial year 2004–05 can be found in Note 3 to the Trust Statement in the Inland Revenue Annual Report and Accounts for 2004–05.
	The Annual Report for HM Revenue and Customs 2004–05 will be published later this year and include an updated cost of collection table for the Inland Revenue showing the 2004–05 figures.

WALES

Departmental Electricity

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the annual spending by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on electricity use has been in each year since 1997.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office was established in July 1999. Electricity bills for its premises were paid by the National Assembly for Wales until 2000. Payments made by the Wales Office since are:
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
		
		
			 2000–01 9,043.42 
			 2001–02 12,334.52 
			 2002–03 14,440.37 
			 2003–04 9,180.72 
			 2004–05 4,368.05 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for financial year 2005–06 will be available in April 2006

Departmental Spending

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on items of art in 2004–05.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office expenditure for items of art in 2004–05 was nil.

EU Directives

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with (a) the Welsh First Minister and (b) other Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government concerning the implementation in Wales of European Commission Directives covering (i) the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and (ii) the setting of standards for efficient energy use.

Nick Ainger: My right hon. Friend and I have regular meetings with Assembly Ministers on a variety of matters, including measures to promote energy efficiency. EU Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings will be implemented through revisions to Building Regulations; this is not a devolved matter. ODPM announced on 13 September changes to Parts F and L of the Building Regulations to implement this Directive from April 2006 in England and Wales. The Assembly is represented on the Building Regulations Advisory Committee and is therefore aware of on-going developments.

Herceptin

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects Herceptin to be available to patients in Wales for the treatment of early stage breast cancer.

Nick Ainger: All women in Wales diagnosed with breast cancer can already be tested to see if they might benefit from Herceptin.
	Herceptin is currently available in England and Wales for patients in the later stages of breast cancer. It is also available for some patients in the early stages of breast cancer, though only in exceptional circumstances.
	The Secretary of State for Health has already asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to begin their preparatory work on Herceptin so they will be in a position to produce guidance quickly when the drug is licensed.

Volunteering

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many volunteering positions his Department has offered in each of the last five years.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office recognises the benefits of volunteering both to the individual and the organisation. Wales Office staff are able to take one day's special leave a year to take part in voluntary and community activities.
	The Wales Office considers requests from individuals who wish to volunteer within the Department. The Department does not hold information on the number of volunteering positions offered in each of the last fiveyears. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Farm Business Advice Service

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have used the farm business advice service, broken down by region.

Jim Knight: The original three day farm business advice service was launched in October 2000 and ended on 31 March 2005.
	The original service was delivered to 17,676 farmers, broken down on a regional basis as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 North West 2,720 
			 North East 733 
			 Yorkshire and Number 1,588 
			 West Midlands 1,732 
			 East Midlands 2,175 
			 East of England 1,421 
			 South East and London 2,401 
			 South West 4,906 
		
	
	Resources for the service were allocated based on the region's share of the total number of holdings in England.
	A restructured service focussing on the business implications of the single payment scheme began delivery in October 2005 until March 2007. The restructured service has a target of delivering one-to-one advice to 15,000 farmers over its lifetime.

Hill Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average income for a hill farmer in (a) Cumbria and (b) England has been in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: Information on the average income for a hill farmer in (a) Cumbria and (b) England in each year since 1997 is given in the following table:
	
		Net farm income—grazing livestock (LFA) farms -- £
		
			 March-February Cumbria England 
		
		
			 1997–98 21,500 12,700 
			 1998–99 12,400 6,200 
			 1999–2000 10,700 5,600 
			 2000–01 14,200 5,900 
			 2001–02(3) 17,700 7,400 
			 2002–03 20,100 17,700 
			 2003–04 16,700 14,900 
		
	
	(3)Excludes farms subjected to compulsory foot and mouth disease cull.
	Source:
	Farm business survey
	Net farm income is defined as the return to the principal farmer and spouse for their manual and managerial labour and on the tenant type capital of the business.

Non-native Species

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made in meeting the eight key recommendations contained in the 2003 review of policy on non-native species; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The review of non-native species policy was undertaken by a working group comprising representatives from Government, the devolved administrations, the statutory nature conservation agencies, conservation and animal welfare NGOs and the trade sector. Their report, published in 2003, contained eight key and 34 supporting recommendations.
	The review was carried out on a Great Britain basis, however, this answer relates to progress made within England, as responsibility for taking forward the recommendations falls to each of the devolved administrations. In 2003 a joint public consultation was published in England and Wales, containing the Government's response to each of the recommendations made in the report. A separate consultation was published in Scotland during 2004.
	In answering your question I will take each of the key recommendations of the working group in turn.
	The Government should (1) designate or create a single lead organisation to undertake the role of co-ordinating and ensuring consistency of application of non-native species policies across Government.
	In March this year the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), announced the setting up of a co-ordinating mechanism to ensure that policy and action on non-natives is joined up across Government and its agencies. The programme board held its first meeting on 12 September and plans further meetings on a quarterly basis. Minutes of the meetings will be published on the Defra website.
	(2) Develop comprehensive, accepted risk assessment procedures to assess risks posed by non-native species and identify and prioritise prevention action.
	A research contract to develop a comprehensive risk assessment methodology was completed in February of this year. The scheme is based upon the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO) pest risk assessment scheme used for plant quarantine purposes, adapted to be applicable to all taxonomic groups. It has been designed to generate an assessment of risk based on a three point scale of high, medium and low risk. A joint programme of peer review and further testing is being agreed between DEFRA and the Scottish Executive and will begin shortly.
	(3) Develop codes of conduct to help prevent introductions for all relevant sectors in a participative fashion involving all relevant stakeholders.
	The first code of practice, for the horticultural sector, was launched by the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) in March 2003. It is published in full on the Defra website, and has been summarised in a leaflet. This code should form a template for other codes—one for each vector of introduction. The programme board has suggested that a code for the pet trade should be the next to be developed in close association with the industry.
	The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill, currently before Parliament, includes a provision to give the Secretary of State the power to issue or approve codes of practice in connection with non-native species. These codes will not be statutory, but may be used as evidence in any court proceedings and may be taken into account by the court when sentencing. A similar power has already been introduced within Scotland.
	(4) Develop a targeted education and awareness strategy involving all relevant sectors.
	The programme board will establish working groups to take forward the review recommendations, and to fulfil our international obligations. It has suggested that an education and public awareness group should be established immediately. Membership of working groups will be drawn from Government and its agencies, the academic and professional sectors and non-governmental organisations.
	(5) Revise and update existing legislation to improve handling of invasive non-native species issue.
	A consultation on part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the principal piece of legislation which protects our native wildlife, was carried out in England and Wales last winter. This raised a number of issues associated with the legislative controls on non-native species, and we are taking forward two of these in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill. In addition to the power to issue or approve codes of practice, mentioned above, the Bill contains a power for the Secretary of State to ban the sale of certain non-native species, to be listed by order. There are no species proposed at this stage; any proposals will be the subject of full consultation in due course. We will develop a coherent package of further proposals for future consideration.
	(6) Establish adequate monitoring and surveillance arrangements for non-native species in Great Britain.
	A national audit of non-native species has been carried out within Scotland and England, and this will form the basis of a research project to be let shortly to carry out an audit of current monitoring activity in Great Britain in relation to non-native species. This will identify where the most significant gaps lie in existing capacity, and what improvements can be made.
	(7) Establish policies with respect to management and control of invasive non-native species currently present or newly arrived in the wild, and develop operational capacity to implement these policies.
	It is not possible to take action against all of the non-native species currently present in the wild. A sound risk assessment process will provide the scientific basis for decisions about priorities for management and control of individual species.
	(8) Stakeholders should be fully consulted and engaged in development of invasive non-native species policies and actions through a mechanism such as a consultative forum.
	The holding of a regular forum, to which all relevant stakeholders are invited, is a valuable way to ensure a wider understanding and ownership of the issues. Two annual events have been held to date, and a further forum is scheduled to take place next spring.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Asylum and Immigration Appeals

Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the immigration appeal lodged by Mr. Schneider (Ref. 189248) on 11 March 2005 will be determined and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The asylum and immigration tribunal (AIT) has confirmed, from the reference provided in the question, that it is not currently in receipt of appeal papers from a Mr. Schneider.
	Further checks made with the immigration and nationality directorate (IND) of the Home Office has confirmed that a Mr. Schneider lodged an appeal on human rights grounds with it on 11 March 2005. This appeal is currently awaiting transfer to the AIT in accordance with the transitional provisions set out in The Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 (Commencement No. 5 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2005 (SI 2005/565).
	The IND has confirmed that the appeal papers will be transferred to the AIT within the next 14 working days. Upon receipt of the appeal papers the AIT will list the case for a hearing and send notice confirming the date to all parties to the appeal.

DNA Testing

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures are in place to ensure that laboratories licensed to perform court admissible DNA tests conform to the standards required by the ISO 17025 Certificate.

Bridget Prentice: My Department is currently investigating the matters raised in the hon. Member's questions, and I will write when I am in a position to do so.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will break down the number of registered electors by region.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Chris Ruane, dated 28 October 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the number of electors by region. (21767)
	Below is a table showing the number of registered electors, as at 1 December 2004, for each country within the UK and for Government Office Regions within England. The table shows both the number of local electors and the number of parliamentary electors.
	
		Number of registered electors by region, 1 December 2004
		
			  Local electors Parliamentary electors 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 44,649,791 44,180,243 
			
			 England 37,486,007 37,043,608 
			 North East 1,925,339 1,920,378 
			 North West 5,157,621 5,134,365 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,746,688 3,731,575 
			 East Midlands 3,238,681 3,218,197 
			 West Midlands 4,023,919 4,004,334 
			 East 4,191,851 4,146,513 
			 London 5,237,019 5,021,532 
			 South East 6,097,600 6,023,650 
			 South West 3,867,289 3,843,064 
			
			 Wales 2,242,655 2,233,467 
			 Scotland 3,873,528 3,857,631 
			 Northern Ireland 1,047,601 1,045,537 
		
	
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

PRIME MINISTER

Committees (Representation)

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list departments represented on (a) each Cabinet standing committee and (b) special or occasional committees set up in each of the last five years.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the list of Cabinet Committees which is available in the Libraries of the House and on the Cabinet Office website.

Prince of Wales (American Visit)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister whether the Prince of Wales's next visit to the United States of America is an official visit.

Tony Blair: holding answer 27 October 2005
	Yes.

Public Sector Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry concerning reform of public sector pension schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects. Information relating to internal meetings, discussion and advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Secondments

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Prime Minister how many staff in his Office are seconded from accountancy houses; and how many of his officials have worked on secondment to outside accountancy houses.

Tony Blair: None.

Trident Replacement

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 841, in which years he expects the decision on Trident replacement to be made.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) at Prime Minister's Questions on 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 841.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on the operation of sections 1 to 4 of the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended by section 37 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990);
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the operation of section 4 of the Abortion Act 1967.

Caroline Flint: The Government have a responsibility to monitor the provisions of the Abortion Act and we have no evidence to suggest that sections 1 to 4 of the Act are not being complied with.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what records are kept of attempted abortions which fail and where the foetus survives;
	(2)  how many attempted abortions in the United Kingdom failed and ended in a live birth in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the then Under-Secretary of State for Health (Melanie Johnson) gave on 24 March 2005, Official Report, column 1043W.

Adverse Drug Reactions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the number of children suffering adverse reactions to off-label medicines;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the number of children suffering adverse reactions to medicines approved for paediatric use.

Jane Kennedy: The table shows the total number of suspected adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports received from health professionals via the yellow card scheme from 1 January 2001 to 14 October 2005 for each of the last five years, where the patient's age was specified as less than 18 years.
	
		
			  Number of suspected ADR reports received, where patient age is specified and less than 18 years Total number of suspected ADR reports received 
		
		
			 2001 1,712 21,461 
			 2002 1,634 17,619 
			 2003 2,500 19,263 
			 2004 2,198 20,045 
			 2005(4) 1,942 17,270 
		
	
	(4)Data up to 14 October 2005.
	Note:
	Data held on the adverse drug reactions on-line information tracking database is dynamic and may be subject to change.
	Currently, many drugs that are routinely used to treat children are not licensed for use in this age group. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency pharmacovigilance database does not differentiate between suspected ADRs for drugs that may or may not have a licence for use in children, therefore this breakdown of the data is not provided.
	It is important to note that a report of an adverse drug reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the drug. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and the underlying disease.

Smoking (Asthma)

Kevin Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat steps she is taking to increase awareness of the effects of second-hand smoke on people with asthma.

Caroline Flint: The Government's 1998 White Paper, Smoking Kills", made clear that second-hand smoke, also known as passive smoking, was harmful to asthma sufferers and that they were more prone to attacks because of breathing in other people's smoke. We have in place a comprehensive strategy to tackle smoking and reduce the illness and death caused by smoking.
	As part of our strategy, we have boosted our tobacco education media campaign, and from 2003, we have run campaigns raising awareness of the health risks of second-hand smoke. Our Smoking Near Children" campaign was the first to raise the general public's awareness of the health risks to children of second-hand smoke.
	Our new second-hand smoke media campaign launched on 5 September 2005, which will run until the end of October, focuses on the health risks in the home—as most deaths and harm are due to second-hand smoke in the home.
	In September 2005, the national health service updated and reissued the leaflet, Fact-Second-hand Smoke is a Killer", which gives the latest key facts on second-hand smoke. In the leaflet, it states that breathing in second-hand smoke doubles your chances of developing asthma, and if you are one of the 5.2 million people in the United Kingdom who already suffer from asthma, second-hand makes your breathing problems worse. A copy of the leaflet is available in the Library.

Blood

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the average cost per primary care trust to implement EU Directive 2002/98/EC on the traceability of blood; and what funding her Department has provided towards meeting these costs.

Caroline Flint: A regulatory impact assessment concluded that most of the requirements of the proposed regulations, implementing this directive, are already covered in central guidance and best practice standards in the United Kingdom. Thus, any costs were being, or would be incurred anyway.
	The Department has made £200,000 available to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to meet the cost of developing a reporting system for serious adverse events and reactions.
	Any additional cost incurred by an individual hospital or primary care trust will depend on how far it is compliant with current requirements and best practice.

Bowel Cancer

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons screening for bowel cancer in England is limited to people over the age of 60 years; and if she will extend the age range to include people between 50 and 60 years.

Rosie Winterton: Men and women in their 60s will be invited to take part in the national health service bowel cancer screening programme from April 2006. We will encourage men and women aged 70 and over to self refer if they wish to by seeing their general practitioner or ringing the local screening unit.
	The risk of bowel cancer increases with age, with over 80 per cent. of bowel cancers arising in people who are 60 or over. Therefore, the Department has taken a pragmatic approach by inviting the optimal group of men and women who will benefit most from a screening programme. Also, we are determined that the new screening programme should not have a detrimental effect on services for patients with bowel cancer symptoms. When we have rolled out the programme to the whole country, we will make an assessment on whether to expand the programme to other age groups.

Breast Cancer

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of whether there are links between abortion and the incidence of breast cancer; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 21 October 2005
	The Government believe that any woman considering an abortion must have all the facts to make an informed decision. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' (RCOG) evidence-based clinical guideline, The care of women requesting induced abortion (2004)", states that professionals involved in abortion care should be equipped to provide women with information on the long-term effects of abortion which are rare or unproven, including breast cancer. The guideline also concluded, following an extensive review of the literature, that the evidence shows that induced abortion is not associated with an increase in the risk of breast cancer.
	Cancer Research UK undertook a study of the risk factors associated with breast cancer, including a further international review of the research evidence on abortion and breast cancer. Last year, this study also concluded there is no link.

Breast Cancer

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has commissioned into the UK's success rate at treating breast cancer compared with other EU member states.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not commissioned any research comparing our success rate at treating breast cancer with other Europe Union member states. This research is already under way as part of the Eurocare programme of research.

Breast Screening

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned into the provision of routine breast checks for women under 50 years of age.

Rosie Winterton: The Forrest report, on which the breast screening programme is based, recommended further research to assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of offering routine screening to women under 50. This is under way, entitled UKCCCR randomised controlled trial of the effect of breast cancer mortality of annual mammographic screening of women starting at age 40" (the 'Age' Trial).
	The main aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of annual mammographic screening of women starting at ages 40 to 41 on mortality from breast cancer, thus giving a definitive answer to the outstanding question of whether population screening below 50 is beneficial or not. The study began in February 1991, and recruitment to the trial has now stopped at 160,000 women. The results of this study are expected to be submitted by February 2006 to a journal for publication after peer review.

Brucella Viruses

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures her Department has taken (a) to monitor and (b) to prevent food contamination by brucella viruses; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Food hygiene legislation places the responsibility on food business operators to produce food safely, and there is no requirement for routine monitoring of the food supply for brucella organisms.
	The only specific requirements in respect of brucella and food are in dairy and meat hygiene legislation. Raw milk from cows or buffaloes must be heat treated unless it comes from animals belonging to a brucellosis free or officially brucellosis free herd. Raw milk from ewes or goats must be heat treated unless it has come from animals belonging to a production holding which is either brucellosis free or officially brucellosis free.
	All susceptible animals slaughtered for human consumption undergo official post-mortem inspection under official veterinary supervision. Meat from animals suffering from acute brucellosis must be declared unfit for human consumption as must the udder, genital tract and blood from animals that have reacted positively or inconclusively to a brucellosis test.

Budget Deficits (Oxfordshire)

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat assessment she has made of the reasons for budget deficits in primary care trusts in Oxfordshire for200506.

Rosie Winterton: The budget deficits in primary care trusts (PCTs) in Oxfordshire are the responsibility of the PCTs which are expected to plan for and achieve financial balance each and every year.

Cancer Treatment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients with breast cancer have been referred to private hospitals for their treatment in the last five years; and how many were treated in NHS hospitals.

Rosie Winterton: We do not collect information on the number of breast cancer patients referred to private hospital for their treatment. The number of breast cancer patients treated in national health service hospitals in England, for the last five years, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of breast cancer patients treated 
		
		
			 19992000 47,497 
			 200001 46,827 
			 200102 46,702 
			 200203 47,578 
			 200304 49,546 
		
	
	Source:
	Hospital episode statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Cancer Treatment

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on cancer treatment (a) waiting times and (b) targets in East Sussex in the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: The NHS cancer plan sets out our strategy for reducing cancer waiting times. A two- week outpatient waiting time standard for urgent general practitioner referrals of suspected cancer was introduced in December 2000. Cancer waiting times treatment standards of one month from urgent GP referral to first cancer treatment were introduced for cases of testicular cancer, children's cancers and acute leukaemia in 2001.
	Further standards of maximum waits of 31 days from diagnosis to first cancer treatment and 62 days from urgent referral with suspected cancer to first cancer treatment were introduced for patients with breast cancer in 2001 and 2002 respectively. These 31 and 62 day standards will be in place for all cancer patients from December 2005. Performance against the current cancer waiting times targets are published quarterly on the Department of Health website. Performance data showing progress towards the 2005 targets are also available on the Department's website at http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits/.
	The tables show how East Sussex Hospitals National Health Service Trust has made progress in meeting the cancer waiting times targets.
	
		
			 Quarter  Number of urgent GP referrals for suspected cancer Percentage seen by specialist within two weeks of referral 
		
		
			 1 200203 430 94.9 
			 2 200203 485 90.3 
			 3 200203 510 97.8 
			 4 200203 511 99.4 
			 1 200304 619 100 
			 2 200304 697 99.7 
			 3 200304 738 100 
			 4 200304 775 99.7 
			 1 200405 823 100 
			 2 200405 885 99.8 
			 3 200405 931 100 
			 4 200405 884 100 
			 1 200506 1,093 99.7 
		
	
	
		Breast cancerone month from diagnosis to treatment target from 2002East Sussex hospitals NHS trust
		
			 Quarter  Total patients treated Percentage of patients treated within one month 
		
		
			 1 200203 54 100 
			 2 200203 63 98.4 
			 3 200203 41 92.7 
			 4 200203 63 95.2 
			 1 200304 66 98.5 
			 2 200304 66 100 
			 3 200304 77 94.8 
			 4 200304 77 97.4 
			 1 200405 80 100 
			 2 200405 62 100 
			 3 200405 58 100 
			 4 200405 60 98.3 
			 1 200506 93 98.9 
		
	
	
		Breast cancertwo month from urgent GP referral to treatment from 2002East Sussex hospitals NHS trust
		
			 Quarter  Total patients treated Percentage of patients treated within two months 
		
		
			 1 200304 29 89.7 
			 2 200304 43 97.7 
			 3 200304 36 94.4 
			 4 200304 31 90.3 
			 1 200405 40 92.5 
			 2 200405 32 100 
			 3 200405 35 97.1 
			 4 200405 37 100 
			 1 200506 59 100 
		
	
	
		All cancer one month from diagnosis to treatment standard from 2005East Sussex hospitals NHS trust
		
			 Quarter  Total patients treated Percentage of patients treated within one month 
		
		
			 4 200405 198 84.3 
			 1 200506 344 89.2 
		
	
	
		All cancer two month from urgent GP referral to treatment standard from 2005East Sussex hospitals NHS trust
		
			 Quarter  Total patients treated Percentage of patients treated within two months 
		
		
			 4 200405 68 85.3 
			 1 200506 125 87.2

Cancer Treatment

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average waiting timesfor cancer patients (a) from diagnosis to start of treatment and (b) from urgent general practitioner referral to start of treatment in each of the last 12 quarters.

Rosie Winterton: Average waiting times for the treatment of cancer patients are not collected. Cancer waiting times treatment standards of one month from urgent general practitioner referral to first cancer treatment were introduced for cases of testicular cancer,children's cancers and acute leukaemia in 2001.
	Further standards of maximum waits of 31 days from diagnosis to first cancer treatment and 62 days from urgent referral with suspected cancer to first cancer treatment were introduced for patients with breast cancer in 2001 and 2002 respectively. These 31 and 62 day standards will be in place for all cancer patients from December 2005. Performance against the current cancer waiting times targets are shown in the tables, and are published quarterly on the Department's website. Performance data showing progress towards the 2005 targets was first published for quarter one of 200506. Further data will be published on the Department's website at http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits/ as it becomes available.
	
		Cancer type: children's cancer
		
			  Quarter Total patients treated Patients treated within one month Percentage of patients treated within one month 
		
		
			 200102 4 40 40 100.0 
			 200203 1 24 24 100.0 
			 200203 2 18 18 100.0 
			 200203 3 22 21 95.5 
			 200203 4 22 22 100.0 
			 200304 1 25 25 100.0 
			 200304 2 19 19 100.0 
			 200304 3 13 13 100.0 
			 200304 4 10 10 100.0 
			 200405 1 9 9 100.0 
			 200405 2 8 7 87.5 
			 200405 3 7 7 100.0 
			 200405 4 7 6 85.7 
			 200506 1 31 29 93.5 
			  
			 Cancer type: testicular cancer 
			 200102 4 189 173 91.5 
			 200203 1 167 156 93.4 
			 200203 2 191 181 94.8 
			 200203 3 164 151 92.1 
			 200203 4 177 162 91.5 
			 200304 1 163 150 92.0 
			 200304 2 178 172 96.6 
			 200304 3 200 189 94.5 
			 200304 4 175 167 95.4 
			 200405 1 129 110 85.3 
			 200405 2 144 133 92.4 
			 200405 3 145 131 90.3 
			 200405 4 170 147 86.5 
			 200506 1 588 521 88.6 
			  
			 Cancer type: acute leukaemia 
			 200102 4 114 114 100.0 
			 200203 1 97 96 99.0 
			 200203 2 100 99 99.0 
			 200203 3 106 105 99.1 
			 200203 4 69 68 98.6 
			 200304 1 66 65 98.5 
			 200304 2 77 75 97.4 
			 200304 3 57 57 100.0 
			 200304 4 84 83 98.8 
			 200405 1 7 6 85.7 
			 200405 2 9 8 88.9 
			 200405 3 4 4 100.0 
			 200405 4 9 7 77.8 
			 200506 1 29 25 86.2 
		
	
	
		Breast cancerone month from diagnosis to treatment standard
		
			  
		
		
			 200102 4 6,315 5,950 94.2 
			 200203 1 6,496 6,133 94.4 
			 200203 2 7,023 6,642 94.6 
			 200203 3 6,941 6,695 96.5 
			 200203 4 7,320 7,048 96.3 
			 200304 1 7,630 7,395 96.9 
			 200304 2 7,808 7,626 97.7 
			 200304 3 7,961 7,798 98.0 
			 200304 4 7,758 7,507 96.8 
			 200405 1 7,492 7,276 97.1 
			 200405 2 7,786 7,591 97.5 
			 200405 3 7,723 7,596 98.4 
			 200405 4 7,818 7,644 97.8 
			 200506 1 8,513 8,358 98.2 
		
	
	
		Breast cancertwo months from urgent GP referral to treatment from 2002
		
			  Quarter Total patients treated Patients treated within two months Percentage of patients treated within two months 
		
		
			 200304 1 3,763 3,631 96.5 
			 200304 2 4,138 4,047 97.8 
			 200304 3 4,169 4,053 97.2 
			 200304 4 3,810 3,702 97.2 
			 200405 1 3,597 3,494 97.1 
			 200405 2 3,625 3,503 96.6 
			 200405 3 3,673 3,584 97.6 
			 200405 4 3,726 3,586 96.2 
			 200506 1 4,130 4,028 97.5 
		
	
	
		All cancersone month from diagnosis to treatment standard from 2005
		
			  Quarter Total patients treated Patients treated within one month Percentage of patients treated within one month 
		
		
			 200506 1 42,576 39,430 92.6 
		
	
	
		All cancerstwo months from urgent GP referral to treatment standard from 2005
		
			  Quarter Total patients treated Patients treated within two months Percentage of patients treated within two months 
		
		
			 200506 1 11,021 14,299 77.1

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2005 Official Report, column 538W, on carbon monoxide poisoning, how many general practitioner surgeries will receive the leaflets; which support groups will be included in the leaflet; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The patient information leaflet, Indoor air pollutionCarbon monoxide, will be distributed to all general practitioners' surgeries in Englandof which there are approximately 93,000in late November 2005. The leaflet will also be made available on the Department's website with links to pages providing further advice on the prevention and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Heating Equipment Testing and Approval scheme, the Council for Registered Gas Installers and the Solid Fuel Association. The support group, CO-Gas Safety, has been directly involved in the production of this leaflet.
	NHS Direct also provides information on carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in its website at http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/he.asp?articleID=417P, which includes information on causes, diagnosis, prevention, symptoms, treatment and complications. Medical advice on CO poisoning is available on the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) website in his and the Chief Nursing Officer's letter to GPs, which was sent in February 2002. Further advice will be provided to GPs in the CMO's update in November 2005.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2005, Official Report, column 538W, on carbon monoxide poisoning, what the relevant support group is in (a) north and (b) south England for (i) information on awareness of carbon monoxide and (ii) medical advice on carbon monoxide; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The support groups CO-Gas Safety and AIRSAY, supported by the Department through Section 64 funding cover the whole of England. Section 64 funding is provided by the Department to voluntary organizations in England whose activities support the Department of Health's policy priorities and priority is given to applications with innovative proposals of national significance that will complement statutory services and so help secure provision of high quality health and social care and promote the nation's health.
	CO-Gas Safety provides information on awareness of carbon monoxide. Medical advice on carbon monoxide poisoning is provided by NHS Direct in its website at: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/he.asp?articleID=417, and on the Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) website in his and the Chief Nursing Officer's letter to general practitioners (GPs), which was sent in February 2002. Further medical advice will be provided to GPs in the CMO's update in November 2005.

Cataract Operations

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have taken place in the last two years in the threshold level on sight tests before referrals for cataract operations are made.

Rosie Winterton: The Sight Testing (Examination and Prescription) Regulations 1989 require optometrists to check for signs of disease or abnormality within the eye and refer the patient on should that be considered necessary for further investigation.
	Judgments on when a referral should be made, or when a patient should be listed for a cataract operation, will be made on an individual basis.

Chase Farm Hospital

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure Chase Farm Hospital retains its accident and emergency department; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: It is for local primary care trusts working with national health service trusts to determine how the needs of the local population can best be met. Local NHS organisations have a responsibility to engage with local people in formulating proposals and to consult formally on proposals for change.
	I understand that a discussion document published by the Barnet and Chase Farm NHS Trust last December has since been re-drafted in light of an earlier engagement process and it is expected to be issued for formal consultation early next year.

Child Cancer Drugs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with her medical advisers about possible links between child cancer drugs and deafness.

Rosie Winterton: There have been no formal discussions with medical advisers about any possible links between child cancer drugs and deafness.
	Some drugs used to treat childhood cancers may have long-term side effects including, in a minority of cases, loss of hearing. It would be the norm for the treating clinician to monitor the patient in these cases.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has produced guidance for the national health service which emphasises the need for clinicians to discuss all aspects of treatments, including any adverse side effects, with patients and their parents or carers.

Child Cancer Drugs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has made an assessment of the impact of platinum based chemotherapy drugs on deafness in children.

Jane Kennedy: Platinum-based medicinal products are effective in the treatment of certain cancers, including childhood cancers. They are, however, associated with a number of serious adverse effects. These are documented in the product information, together with warnings and advice, where possible, on how to reduce or avoid these adverse effects. When treating a patient with cancer, the doctor has to weigh up the risks of the treatment against the potential benefits and prescribe accordingly.
	The two platinum-based medicinal products licensed for human use have well-defined safety profiles and both are known to cause damage to hearing in both adults and children. Information relating to this appears in the summaries of product characteristics (SmPC) and the patient information leaflets (PIL) of the two products.
	The SmPC for cisplatin, which is authorised for use in children as well as adults, contains statements relating to its potential to cause hearing loss. The SmPC notes that cisplatin should not be given to patients with existing hearing impairment as this may be associated with increased toxicity. It also warns that the damage to hearing caused by cisplatin is cumulative and that audiometric testing should be performed before starting treatment and before each subsequent course of treatment with cisplatin. In addition, the SmPC warns that the simultaneous use of other medicines that cause hearing damage, such as certain antibiotics, may make such damage worse. The SmPC describes in some detail the hearing impairment in patients receiving cisplatin and notes that it is worse in children. This information is also presented in the patient information leaflet.
	Carboplatin is not authorised for use in children, but nevertheless, the SmPC contains a warning that clinically significant hearing loss has occurred in children given high doses of carboplatin in combination with other medicines that cause hearing damage. There is also general information about the incidence and degree of hearing loss caused by carboplatin, which is generally less damaging to hearing than cisplatin.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) continually monitors the safety of medicines in clinical use. To date, that is from 1963 to 18 October 2005, the MHRA has received nine reports (of nine suspected reactions) of ear and labyrinth disorders associated with carboplatin. Of these, only one was in a child (one-year-old) who experienced deafness following therapy with carboplatin and gentamycin. During the same time period, a total of 19 reports (of 26 suspected reactions) of ear and labyrinth disorders associated with cisplatin have been received. Of these, three were in children (10 years old and younger) and the reported reactions were deafness for two cases and hearing impaired and tinnitus in the third case.

Childhood Obesity

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in tackling childhood obesity.

Caroline Flint: Reducing obesity is one of the six overarching priorities of the Choosing Health White Paper, published in November 2004. In July 2004, the Government set a Public Service Agreement target 'to halt the year-on-year increase in obesity among children under 11 by 2010 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole'.
	The White Paper delivery plan, Delivering Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier together with discrete plans focusing on nutrition, Choosing a Better Diet: a food and health action plan and physical activity, Choosing Activity: a physical activity action plan published in March 2005 set out how the White Paper commitments will be delivered and how they will contribute to delivery of the obesity target.

Contraception and Abortion Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to commission research into economic evaluation strategies for contraception and abortion services.

Caroline Flint: My Department will shortly be issuing guidance to primary care trusts entitled, Health Economics of Sexual Health: A Guide for Commissioning and Planning. This guidance highlights that there is evidence and consensus that investment in sexual health interventions is good value for money and in many cases, including provision of contraception and early access to abortion services, cost saving. These conclusions are supported by a recent document The Economics of Sexual Health published by the Family Planning Association.

Critical Care Hospital (Merton)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she has taken to ensure that she does not fetter her discretion in respect of the call in by the London borough of Merton concerning the siting of a critical care hospital.

Jane Kennedy: The referral to the Secretary of State for Health of the decision to site the future critical care hospital, which will replace Epsom and St. Helier, at Sutton, by Merton council was made in March.
	The referral is being considered by the Secretary of State for Health and it would be inappropriate to comment in advance of this decision.
	The Secretary of State for Health is considering all relevant and appropriate evidence in relation to the Office of Surveillance Commissioners referral in coming to her decision.

Dentistry

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1) if she will extend the time limit for signing the new NHS dental contracts beyond 1 January 2006 to allow time for evaluation of the new contract conditions; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many NHS dental practices had signed up to the new NHS dental contract as at 15 October; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Dental practices cannot yet sign up to the new types of dental contract because the relevant regulations have not yet been laid before the Houses of Parliament. We expect these regulations to be laid by the end of the year. We expect that dentists will be able to agree a new dental contract with their primary care trust from January 2006 onwards.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to ring-fence the budget for dentistry to be administered by local primary care trusts.

Rosie Winterton: Recent guidance issued by the Department on new dental contracts explained that the Department is looking at options to agree how dental budgets will be monitored to ensure existing investment, uprated for 200607 prices, in national health service dentistry is maintained.
	Primary care trusts may also contribute additional resources from their general allocation to expand overall funding for dentistry.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will reassess the budget for the provision of NHS dentistry in Portsmouth against assessed demand for dental services.

Rosie Winterton: Resources for primary care dentistry will be devolved to individual primary care trusts (PCTs) from 200607. Details of PCTs' dental allocations are expected to be available by the end of November.
	Final allocations to PCTs should be based on an equitable distribution of the available resources, taking account of the current level of service provision in each area.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will make it her policy not to implement the new contract for dentists until agreement on it is reached with the British Dental Association;
	(2)  what consultation has taken place between her Department and dentists on the proposed new contract; what plans she has for pilot studies before any change of contract; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Government intend to implement the new types of dental contracts from April 2006. The draft regulations on patients' dental charges were released for 12-week consultation, ending on 30 September. The draft regulations on the new dental contracts were released for comment during August and September.
	The new types of contracts are closely modelled on the new ways of working that have been piloted under personal dental services agreements in operation since 1998. These agreements now cover over 30 per cent. of dentists. These new contracts will be agreed locally between primary care trusts and dentists. The draft regulations governing these local contracts have been designed to address long standing concerns of the British Dental Association and dentists about the current general dental services remuneration system.

Dentistry

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those dentists in (a) Portsmouth and (b) south east Hampshire who are accepting NHS patients.

Rosie Winterton: Information on which practices are currently taking on new national health service patients is not centrally collected. This information should be available from local primary care trusts or by contacting NHS Direct.

Dentistry

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average retention rate of NHS dentists within the Lancaster and Wyre constituency was in each of the past 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: Average retention rate data is not readily available. The following table shows dentists who have left the national health service during each specific year as a percentage of total dentists as at 31 December each year within the Lancaster and Wyre constituency. However, these figures include dentists who leave for a variety of reasons, including retirements, career breaks and maternity leave.
	
		Dentists who have left the NHS, 19972004
		
			  Percentage of leavers to dentists 
		
		
			 2004 6.8 
			 2003 9.3 
			 2002 9.3 
			 2001 2.3 
			 2000 11.1 
			 1999 6.5 
			 1998 0.0 
			 1997 2.3

Dentistry

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the impact on the registration status of existing NHS patients of the April 2006 dentistry reforms will be; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Dentists' remuneration, from April 2006, will not be linked to the numbers of patients registered. However, we made clear in recent guidance that the new contracts are not designed to cut across current arrangements for patients to register with a practice and expect to receive ongoing, clinically appropriate care and treatment from that practice, bearing in mind the new National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on clinical recall intervals.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 2149W, on dentistry, how many additional NHS dental patient registrations she expects the additional resources allocated by her Department in 200405 to 200708 to produce in each (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary care trust in each year; and how many people had been registered with an NHS dentist each year since 1997 as at 31 March.

Rosie Winterton: The additional resources have been used to support the recruitment of 1,000 dentists by the end of October 2005, measured in whole time dentists recruited, and to support a range of other local improvements in dental services. A range of indicators have been used locally to gauge the impact on access to services.
	No national targets have been set for registrations in 200007 or 200708. In keeping with National Standards, Local Action, the dental reforms being introduced in April 2006 devolve responsibility for localcommissioning to primary care trusts and it will be for local health communities to agree appropriate performance measures.
	Information on the number of patients registered with a national health service dentist each year since 1997, as at 31 March, has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rates of employee absence in her Department have been in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the figures contained in the annual report Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service published by the Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based on. The most recent report for the calendar year 2003 was published on 1 November 2004, copies of which are available in the Library. This report and those for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are available on the Cabinet Office website at: www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_ the_civil_service/conditions_of_service/occupational_ health/publications/index.asp.

Departmental Staff

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees have been dismissed from her Department in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: Over the last five years, the number of staff who have been dismissed by the Department, for either reasons of inefficiency or discipline are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year of dismissal(5) Total 
		
		
			 200001 4 
			 200102 3 
			 200203 1 
			 200304 6 
			 200405 1 
			 Grand total 15 
		
	
	Note:
	(5)From 1 October to 30 September.

Fluoridation

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much has been spent by her Department on promotion of fluoridation of the water supply in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to promote fluoridation of the water supply;
	(3)  what steps are being taken by primary care trusts in the Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority to promote the fluoridation of the water supply;
	(4)  if she will define the threshold for strong local support before strategic health authorities approve fluoridation of local water supplies.

Caroline Flint: It is our policy that decisions on fluoridation schemes should be taken locally by strategic health authorities (SHAs), following consultations with the populations they serve. The previous legislation governing fluoridation left water companies responsible for final decisions on fluoridation. The main initiative the Government have taken on fluoridation has been to introduce amending legislation to make SHAs responsible for decisions and to define in greater detail how they should conduct consultations. The Department has also made grants totalling 428,000 over the period 200102 to 200506 to the British Fluoridation Society to promote the benefits of fluoridation. This forms part of a wider programme of work to improve oral health and reduce oral health inequalities.
	The guidance on consultations and ascertaining public opinion is available in the Library. Under this guidance, SHAs are expected to have regard to both the extent of support for the proposal and the cogency of the arguments advanced. Numbers of representations are not to be the sole determinant of the SHA's decision. I am not aware of any primary care trusts in the Surrey and Sussex SHA area that are currently taking steps to promote the fluoridation of the water supply.

Hearing Aid Provision (Edgware Hospital)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will review the provision of services for those with hearing aids at Edgware hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has invested 125 million into the modernising hearing aid services project since 2000. As a result, from April 2005 all 164 national health service audiology services in England should be routinely fitting digital hearing aids.
	The provision of local health services rests with primary care trusts.

Heart Disease (Gravesham)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals in Gravesham suffer from (a) coronary heart disease, (b) stroke and (c) diabetes; and what steps are being taken to reduce the numbers of people suffering from such diseases.

Caroline Flint: The number of individuals in Gravesham suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes is collected at primary care trust (PCT) level from the local delivery plan returns. The number of patients diagnosed with CHD identified by practices in Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley PCT is 6,696 and the number of patients with diabetes within the same PCT is 8154. Information on the number of people suffering from strokes is not collected centrally.
	The Department has set out plans for tackling CHD, stoke and diabetes in the national service frameworks (NSF for CHD in 2000, stroke as a standard within the NSF for older people in 2001 and NSF for diabetes in 2001.) The Department has convened a vascular programme board to improve co-ordination across, CHD, stroke and diabetes.
	The Department's public health campaigns make a significant contribution to reducing the numbers of people suffering from CHD, stroke and diabetes. These include campaigns on smoking and healthy eating, and the Food Standards Agency's campaign on reducing salt consumption.

HER2 Testing

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many centres in England carry out the test for the HER2 protein; what the capacity is of each; and how much each test costs.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number and capacity of centres which carry out the test for the HER2 protein is not collected centrally.
	HER2 testing kits cost around 40 per patient.
	I have asked Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director, to ensure that arrangements are in place to implement HER2 testing in all primary care trusts as quickly as possible.

HER2 Testing

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  which primary care trusts applied the HER2 test to everyone diagnosed with early breast cancer, prior to her recent announcement on HER2 testing;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the additional cost in this financial year of introducing HER2 tests for early-diagnosed breast cancer patients from October.

Rosie Winterton: It is estimated that the additional cost to the national health service of expanding HER2 testing is likely to be around 2 million a year.
	Information on which primary care trusts applied the HER2 test to everyone diagnosed with early stage breast cancer prior to the recent announcement on HER2 testing is not collected centrally.
	I have asked Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer director, to ensure that arrangements are in place to implement HER2 testing in all primary care trusts as quickly as possible.

HIV/AIDS

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in England in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Number of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the United Kingdom in 200004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000 3,850 
			 2001 5,038 
			 2002 6,188 
			 2003 7,213 
			 2004 7,271 
		
	
	Note:
	This data is from reports received by the end of September 2005. However, the surveillance of HIV diagnoses is subject to a time lag because of the time it takes for a report to be completed at the clinic/laboratory and sent to the Health Protection Agency (HPA). This will mean that the number of HIV diagnoses shown in the table for 2004 will rise. To a lesser extent, those shown for 2003 may also rise.
	Source:
	HPA

Hospital Food

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the average amount spent on hospital food per patient per day; and what assessment she has made of whether there is variation in spending in different regions;
	(2)  what proportion of total patient main meals in hospitals untouched meals represented in each year from 199798.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is shown in the table. Data were not collected before 200102.
	
		
			  Average cost of patient main meals per day () Average percentage of untouched/ unserved patient meals 
		
		
			 200102 2.19 8.86 
			 200203 2.41 10.44 
			 200304 2.37 10.71 
			 200405 2.60 10.26 
		
	
	No central assessment is made of spending on main meals in different regions. However, performance indicators on this and related areas are available to all trusts through the estates return information collection system to support local monitoring and decision making.
	Data on untouched meals form part of a wider question on untouched/unserved meals. This includes food delivered to the ward and not served, for example, because a patient has gone home, as well as that served but not eaten.

Hospital Treatments

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat the average cost was of NHS-funded (a) orthopaedic and (b) ophthalmic procedures carried out in (i) NHS and (ii) private healthcare establishments in the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by type.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the organisations and individuals consulted before the Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, A Public Consultation was issued; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 October 2005, Official Report, columns 26566W.

Influenza

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the planned stockpiling of anti-viral avian influenza drugs to be complete.

Caroline Flint: We placed an order for 14.6 million treatment courses of (oseltamivir) Tamiflu in March 2005. Our delivery schedule indicates that we should have received 2.5 million treatment courses by the end of October, and that our stockpile will be complete by September 2006.

Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will update the UK influenza pandemic contingency plan to reflect the possibility that a communicable avian influenza strain may emerge in Europe, rather than in China or the Far East.

Caroline Flint: The United Kingdom influenza pandemic contingency plan takes into consideration that a flu pandemic may emerge in Europe rather than China or the Far East. A pandemic virus is likely to affect the UK irrespective of where it emerges, and our plan provides a framework to deal with the health impact of a pandemic, and the disruption it may cause to essential services and people's daily lives.

Influenza

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for SouthCambridgeshire of 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 2703W, on the influenza pandemic plan, when the updated UK influenza pandemic contingency plan will be published.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 21 October 2005
	The revised UK influenza pandemic contingency plan was published on 19 October 2005. This updates the version published in March 2005. The plan is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/pandemicflu.
	Copies have been placed in the Library.

Influenza

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to mental health provision in Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. However, in 200304 and 200405, the total mental health spend for all ages in Suffolk was 82 million and 91 million respectively.
	Source:
	Mental Health Strategies Report

Influenza

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP practices offer in-house appointments with a counsellor for those with mental health problems.

Rosie Winterton: Although the Department does not hold this information centrally, a report published by MACA (the Mental Aftercare Association), now known as Together: Working for Wellbeing, First National GP Survey of Mental Health in Primary Care (1999) estimated that out of the 1,966 general practitioner practices in England which were surveyed, more than half had attached community psychiatric nurses and counsellors and 10 per cent. had access to a social worker, psychologist and psychiatrist. This report is available online at:
	www.together-uk.org/temp/GPspandspmentalsphealth spreport.pdf.
	By the end of 2004, 648 graduate workers trained in brief pyschological therapy techniques of proven effectiveness were in place in the primary care mental health workforce, able to help GPs manage and treat common mental health problems in all age groups.

Influenza

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner practices organise in-house training on mental health.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally by the Department. Almost a third of people attending general practitioner (GP) surgeries have mental health problems and mental health occupies approximately one third of a GP's time. Although we are continuing to invest in and improve our services for people with mental health problems at primary and secondary levels, including behavioural as well as drug therapies, GP practices are expected to have a sufficient number of staff who have received appropriate training in mental health issues. In particular, each GP's own training needs will be addressed on an annual basis through the national health service appraisal and personal development process.
	It is for each GP practice to decide how it will organise and deliver staff training, working in consultation with its local primary care trust and any appropriate external educational providers.

Ministerial Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many air miles were accrued through departmental ministerial travel in 200405, broken down by Minister; how many were (a) foregone and (b) donated to charity, broken down by charity; and whether air miles accrued by officials were required to be (i) foregone and (ii) given to charity.

Jane Kennedy: No air miles are recorded against departmental ministerial travel in 200405.
	Ministerial travel is conducted in accordance with the ministerial code and travel by Ministers. Guidance for Ministers on the use of air miles is set out in the ministerial code. The guidance makes clear that air miles should be used only for official purposes or else foregone. However, if it is impracticable to use the benefits for Government travel, there is no objection to Ministers donating them to charity if this is permissible under the terms of the airline's scheme and the charity is one chosen by the airline.
	Similar rules are in place for officials.

MRI Unit (Edgware Hospital)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhen she expects the proposed MRI unit to be available at Edgware hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I understand that, subject to the necessary planning permission, it is expected that magnetic resonance imaging scans will be available at Edgware hospital by the end of January 2006.

Music Therapy

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued to primary care trusts on the use of music therapy; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has not issued any guidance on the use of music therapy. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of music therapy. In commissioning services, PCTs need to plan local services near to patients and ensure that they are identifying the health needs of patients and securing services for them.

NHS Logistics

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the categories of products used by NHS bodies which are not currently provided by NHS Logistics; and if she will estimate (a) the value and (b) the volume of each such category of products for the last year for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The table shows those categories of products and services used by the national health service which are not purchased through the NHS Logistics Authority, or where, as indicated, there is minimal activity.
	Information on the value and volume of products in categories not currently provided by the NHS Logistics Authority could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Spend categories
	Drugs (including gases) 1
	Medical and surgical equipmentmaintenance
	X-Ray equipmentpurchase
	X-Ray film and chemicalspurchase
	X-Ray equipmentmaintenance
	Laboratory equipmentmaintenance
	Contract hotel services (including cleaning)
	Postage
	Telephones
	Advertising
	Travel, subsistence and removal expenses
	Other transport costs (includes transport and moveable plant)
	Electricity
	Gas
	Other fuels (including oil and coal)
	Water and sewerage
	External general services contracts
	Furniture, office and computer equipment 1
	Computer hardware, maintenance contracts and data processing contracts
	Business rates
	Rent
	Building and engineering equipment
	Building and engineering contracts
	Total purchase of healthcare from non-national health service bodies
	Total external contract staffing and consultancy services
	Auditors remuneration
	Note:
	1 Minimal activity through NHS Logistics.

NICE (Drug Approvals)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the shortest time is that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has taken to approve a drug;
	(2)  what the shortest time is that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has taken to approve a cancer drug;
	(3)  what the average period of time taken was to assess a cancer drug's suitability for human use following its referral to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the last period for which figures are available;
	(4)  what the average period of time taken was to assess a drug's suitability for human use following its referral to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the last period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is not responsible for assessing the suitability of drugs for human use.
	The shortest time taken for NICE to appraise a drug is six months from referral by the Department to the publication of guidance, Technology Appraisal Guidance no.3 Ovarian Cancertaxanes. A copy of this guidance is available on the NICE website at:
	www.nice.org.uk

Patient Forums

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs have been incurred (a) by her Department and (b) by the NHS in setting up patients forums.

Rosie Winterton: In 2003, the Department allocated 30.192 million to the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) to set up patients' forums.
	The national health service incurred no cost for setting up patients' forums as the CPPIH is responsible for allocating funds to them.

Prescriptions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) paid-for and (b) free prescriptions were issued in each primary care trust in (i) Essex, (ii)Hertfordshire, (iii) inner London and (iv) Greater London in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Primary Care Trusts

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff directly employed by Barnet primary care trust are (a) managers and (b) involved in direct patient care; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		National health service hospital and community health services: non-medical staff employed by Barnet primary care trust by each specified staff group as at 30 September 2004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Total NHS staff 1,858 
			 Of which:  
			 Direct patient care staff 1,362 
			   
			 All Doctors(6) 286 
			 All general medical practitioners(7) 250 
			 HCHS Doctors(6) 36 
			   
			 Practice staff(8)(5508250009) 249 
			 Of which:  
			 Practice nurses 68 
			   
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 595 
			 Qualified nurses 415 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 180 
			   
			 Support to clinical staff 232 
			 NHS target group health care assistants 232 
			   
			 Non-Direct Patient Care Staff 496 
			 Support to clinical staff 214 
			 NHS infrastructure support 282 
			 Of which:  
			 Managers and senior managers 100 
			 Central functions 107 
			 Hotel property and estate staff 75 
		
	
	(6)Excludes hospital practitioners and clinical assistants, most of these also work as a general practitioner (GP).
	2All general medical practitioners include contracted GPs, personal medical services others, GMS others, GP registrars and GP retainers.
	3Practice staff includes practice nurses, direct patient care staff, administrative and clerical and other.
	4Headcount figures for practice staff groups, other than practice nurses, can not be shown separately.
	Sources:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census.
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre Medical and Dental Workforce Census.
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Primary Care Trusts

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of Barnet primary care trust's management of Edgware hospital; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Department has made no assessment of Barnet primary care trust management of Edgware hospital.

Primary Care Trusts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions her Department has had with primary care trusts in Oxfordshire about hospital bed availability in winter 200506;
	(2)  what discussions her Department has had with (a) the strategic health authority, (b) front line healthstaff, (c) the voluntary sector and (d) other bodies about hospital winter bed (i) availability and (ii)demand in Oxfordshire in 200506.

Rosie Winterton: The Department manages delivery including issues such as winter through the strategic health authorities (SHAs), as the local headquarters of the national health service. It is the role of SHAs to ensure appropriate winter plans are in place locally and it is for them to decide how they engage their stakeholder community.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from her Department have (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not collected.

School Fruit

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2005, Official Report, column 1675W, on school fruit, if she will break down the percentage of fruits sourced from (a) the UK and (b) overseas, by season.

Caroline Flint: Table one shows a breakdown of the produce supplied by the school fruit and vegetable scheme during the school year 20045 by school term and source region.
	
		1: United Kingdom grown and imported produce supplied by school fruit and vegetable scheme -- Percentages
		
			 Term UK grown Imported 
		
		
			 Autumn term 30 70 
			 Spring term 29 71 
			 Summer term 10 90 
		
	
	For individual products which are available from UK growers, the breakdown over the whole school year is shown in table 2this obviously includes those months of the year when UK grown apples and pears are not available.
	
		2: Breakdown by type of produce supplied by school fruit and vegetable scheme -- Percentages
		
			 Produce UK Imported 
		
		
			 Apples 46 54 
			 Pears 16 84 
			 Carrots 100 0 
			 Strawberries 100 0 
		
	
	We will also be introducing cocktail tomatoes and baby cucumbers into the scheme. We have been working with the National Farmers Union to encourage UK production of these products for the school fruit and vegetable scheme.

See Me Campaign (Scotland)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the see me campaign in Scotland.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has made no assessment of the effectiveness of the see me campaign in Scotland. I understand from the director of the national programme for improving mental health and wellbeing at the Scottish Executive that an evaluation will be commissioned within the 200506 financial year to track the development of the campaign in terms of inputs and actions, programme reach, results and short term outcomes, at national and local levels. It is expected that the evaluation will be completed before March 2007. The Department will carefully consider the report of this evaluation to inform the further development of shift, the five-year initiative (200409) in England to tackle stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health issues.

Sexual Health Clinics

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sexual health clinics have had to turn away patients during the 200405 financial year.

Caroline Flint: This information is not collected. Primary care trusts and strategic health authorities have already developed plans on how they will meet the Choosing Health White Paper target of 48-hour access to genito-urinary medicine (GUM)/sexual health clinics through the local delivery planning process. To support this, the Department is investing an additional 130 million for GUM services and infrastructure in 200607 and 200708 to enable clinics to expand their services and reduce waiting times. An additional 15 million capital funding has also been recently allocated.

Smoking

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of premature deaths caused by smoking in the past 12 months in the Southend, West constituency; and what action she is taking to reduce the number of such premature deaths.

Caroline Flint: The information requested regarding the estimated number of premature deaths caused by smoking in the past 12 months in the Southend, West constituency is not held centrally.
	Since 1998, the Government have put in place a comprehensive strategy to tackle smoking to reduce the deaths caused by smoking. The strategy focuses on action to discourage people from ever starting, and help for all smokers. We are aiming to create a climate where non-smoking is the norm.
	We have banned almost all tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion. Our highly effective national anti-smoking education campaign is reaching smokers and helping motivate them to quit. People who wish to give up smoking can get help from the national health service stop smoking services. We set out proposals to bring in new measures to improve the way the NHS helps smokers to give up in our White Paper, Choosing Health. We will reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and, through a staged approach, make almost all enclosed public places and workplaces smoke-free. We will consult on introducing picture warnings onto tobacco packs. Together, these strategies have helped reduce adult smoking rates in England from 28 per cent. in 1998 to 25 per cent. in 2004.

St. George's Hospital, Tooting

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1)how much NHS funding will be made available to St.George's hospital in Tooting in (a) 200506 and (b) 200607;

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS funding has been made available to St. George's hospital in Tooting in each year since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: Information about funding for acute trusts is not held centrally. National health service financial allocations are made directly to primary care trusts who have responsibility for commissioning NHS services for the treatment and care of their local population from local acute trusts.
	This is where the specific local knowledge and expertise lies and it is not appropriate for the Department to intervene.

Stroke

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on provision for the treatment of stroke in Coventry, South.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 17 October 2005
	It is for the Coventry Primary Care Trust in partnership with the strategic health authority and other local stakeholders to determine the most appropriate use of the funding allocated to it in order to commission services that best meets the needs of the local population.
	The Department has set out national standards for stroke services through the older people's national service framework, which have helped kick-start the widespread development of stroke services. More patients are being seen by stroke specialists and stroke mortality is declining. The Department is also tackling the lifestyle factors that can lead to strokesmoking, poor diet and high blood pressureboth through concerted public health campaigns and through rewarding general practitioners via their contractual payments for identifying and supporting the groups of patients most at risk.

Surgeons

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many surgeons have (a) left and (b) started working in the NHS in (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (iii) inner London and (iv) Greater London in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The estimate of joiners and leavers in the surgical specialties for the period 19932004, within Essex, London and Southend Hospital National Health Service Trust is shown in the table.
	
		Hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS): estimate of joiners and leavers in the surgical specialties(7); 19932004England, as at 30 September -- Number of leavers (headcount)
		
			  199394 199495 199596 199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 All London strategic health authorities (SHAs)
			 All surgeons 156 135 164 170 131 184 189 147 172 169 142 
			 of which:
			 Surgical specialty group (medical specialties) 60 74 76 63 54 90 67 76 76 63 61 
			 Oral and Maxillo facial surgery specialists 96 61 88 107 77 94 122 71 96 106 81 
			 
			 Essex SHA
			 All surgeons 17 10 21 15 22 19 22 20 22 27 11 
			 of which:
			 Surgical specialty group (medical specialties) 3 1 8 4 5 1 3 9 6 9 3 
			 Oral and Maxillo facial surgery specialists 14 9 13 11 17 18 19 11 16 18 8 
			 
			 Southend Hospitals NHS Trust  
			 All surgeons 4 3 7 5 6 5 4 6 2 5 3 
			 of which:
			 Surgical specialty group (medical specialties) 1 0 2 0 3 0 0 5 0 1 0 
			 Oral and Maxillo facial surgery specialists 3 3 5 5 3 5 4 1 2 4 3 
		
	
	
		Number of joiners (headcount)
		
			  199394 199495 199596 199697 199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 All London SHAs   
			 All surgeons 274 214 243 170 171 230 194 217 191 228 221 
			 of which
			 Surgical specialty group (medical specialties) 215 128 118 81 92 126 104 113 98 135 138 
			 Oral and Maxillo facial surgery specialists 59 86 125 89 79 104 90 104 93 93 83 
			 
			 Essex SHA
			 All surgeons 17 44 22 28 24 30 21 21 35 26 35 
			 of which:
			 Surgical specialty group (medical specialties) 6 30 8 11 9 12 7 6 21 13 23 
			 Oral and Maxillo facial surgery specialists 11 14 14 17 15 18 14 15 14 13 12 
			 
			 Southend Hospitals NHS Trust  
			 All surgeons 4 8 6 6 6 9 4 5 3 6 9 
			 of which:
			 Surgical specialty group (medical specialties) 2 5 1 1 2 5 4 1 1 2 3 
			 Oral and Maxillo facial surgery specialists 2 3 5 5 4 4 0 4 2 4 6 
		
	
	Source:
	NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre medical and dental workforce census.

Tryptophan

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  why the proposed limit of 220 milligrames of tryptophan per supplement capsule has been set on the basis of dividing the average therapeutic dose by 10; and what steps she is taking to satisfy herself that this approach (a) is based upon scientific data on safety, (b) is proportionate in its impact on industry, (c) does not reasonably deny consumer choice and (d) is consistent with the principles of good regulation established by the Better Regulation Task Force;
	(2)  what information she has collated on the levels of tryptophan that are allowed in food products in other European countries; what information the Food Standards Agency received from (a) the Health Food Manufacturers Association and (b) other industry bodies about the safety of tryptophan in response to its consultation exercise on that subject; and why the agency decided not to accept the recommendations of those industry bodies about safe levels of tryptophan;
	(3)  whether the criteria for establishing a safe upper limit for essential nutrients established in the Report of her Ad Hoc Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals have been followed in the setting of maximum permitted levels for tryptophan; what assessment she made of the merits of using advisory statements on tryptophan similar to those developed with industry when setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Scientific data supporting the safety of tryptophan were assessed by the committee on toxicity (COT) in 2004. In its evaluation, the COT noted significant uncertainties and decided that an uncertainty factor of 10 should be applied to derive a dose that would not be expected to be a risk to health to the general population. The limit proposed by the COT was 220 milligrammes of tryptophan per supplement capsule. This factor is applied where there is uncertainty due to gaps in the scientific evidence.
	A regulatory impact assessment (RIA) was carried out to determine the impact on industry and consumers, which was followed by a 12 week consultation period with stakeholders on the proposed regulations and the draft RIA. Tryptophan supplements were banned in the United Kingdom in 1990 and the new legislation will allow the reintroduction of the sale of L-tryptophan at a specified level and purity criteria. The impact on industry was considered and on balance was considered to be positive, given that supplements containing tryptophan have been prohibited for sale since 1990. Consumer choice will also be increased without presenting an appreciable risk to health. This approach is consistent with the principle of good regulation established by the better regulation task force.
	It is understood that three European countries have reintroduced the sale of tryptophan supplements at daily dose levels of between 160mg and 600mg.
	Responses were received by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) from the Health Food Manufacturers Association and the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION), on the approach taken by the COT on setting levels for the use of tryptophan in supplements and suggesting higher levels be permitted.
	The COT secretariat has reviewed the data submitted by ION in May 2005 and found that there was no new evidence to that already reviewed by COT in 2004, when it reached its conclusions on the safety of tryptophan that would support a higher level of tryptophan being used in food supplements. The FSA therefore adopted the level and purity criteria proposed by COT, and this has therefore been adopted into UK legislation to reintroduce the sale of tryptophan supplements in the UK, in the interests of consumer choice and safety. We have asked COT to review its recommendation and any new information on tryptophan since June 2004, and this will be considered at the COT meeting in December. Depending on COTs advice the legislation may be amended.
	The expert group on vitamins and minerals (EVM) proposed safe upper levels (SULs) for vitamins and minerals using the well-established paradigm for setting acceptable and tolerable intake levels for chemicals in food. Where the data were not adequate to set a SUL, the EVM gave guidance on levels that would not be expected to result in adverse effects. The COT uses the same paradigm in its consideration of the safety of tryptophan as a supplement. However, the scientific data did not support derivation of a SUL, and the COT conclusion is expressed in the same terms that EVM used for its guidance levels.
	The use of advisory statements was not considered appropriate due to the severity of the symptoms of Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome in people taking dietary supplements containing tryptophan pre-1990, and the uncertainty relating to gaps in the scientific evidence. COT decided to recommend a daily dose level of 220mg that would not present an appreciable risk to health.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Biometric Passports

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK Passport Service decided the dates for its biometrics road shows; when notice of these events was given to the media; what criteria were used to decide which media organisations and reporters to contact; which media organisations were invited; when notice of each event was given to the public; what the cost was of each road show; and what the (a) dates and (b) venues are of further road show events.

Andy Burnham: The series of road shows was developed to build public awareness of the imminent changes to the passport and provide an opportunity for the public to try out the technology which will in time be used.
	Decisions regarding the dates of the biometric road shows were dependent on the availability of the venues selected; the dates were agreed and venues booked on 16 August 2005. A wide range of local media organisations were contacted, including newspapers, television and radio stations, according to locality and size of readership/audience. In each case local BBC and commercial television and radio stations were invited to attend, along with the main regional/local newspaper(s). Notice of the road shows was provided to local media the working day before each event.
	The dates and locations of the road shows were not released to the public in advance. As is usual practice, Ministers' movements are not confirmed in advance for security reasons. In addition, the road show stand was designed to attract passers-by (e.g. shoppers) and the local media. It would not have been able to accommodate a larger audience, had the road shows been publicised more widely.
	A budget of 150,000 was set aside to cover the cost of the road shows. This included the design and build of the standa resource that could be used in further events, venue hire, staff costs and transportation/set-up of equipment. Feedback from members of the public who attended was on balance positive. Requests have been received from hon. Members for road show events in their locality, though no decision on further dates have yet been taken.

Criminal Injuries Compensation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme have had their compensation (a) withheld and (b) reduced due to their unspent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Fiona Mactaggart: The following information has been provided by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. It relates to cases finalised in the years shown in the table.
	
		CICS awards withheld or reduced on grounds of criminal convictions
		
			  Withheld Reduced 
		
		
			 200001 2,311 1,114 
			 200102 2,426 1,209 
			 200203 2,530 1,352 
			 200304 2,446 1,306 
			 200405 2,735 1,277

Criminal Prosecutions

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) public policy test and (b) evidential test is for criminal prosecutions.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	Each case the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) receives from the police is reviewed in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors to ensure that it is right to proceed with a prosecution.
	The Code sets out two stages in the decision to prosecute. Firstly, there must be sufficient evidence to provide a 'realistic prospect of conviction'. This is an objective test which means that a jury or bench of magistrates, properly directed in accordance with the law, is more likely than not to convict the defendant of the charge alleged. If the case does not pass the evidential stage it must not go ahead no matter how important or serious it may be.
	If the case passes the evidential stage then the second stage is to consider whether a prosecution would be in the public interest. A prosecution will usually take place unless there are public interest factors against prosecution which clearly outweigh those tending in favour, or it appears more appropriate in all the circumstances of the case to divert the person from prosecution.
	The review of a case is a continuous process, which carries on throughout its life and takes into account any new evidence or information which becomes available as the case progresses.

Drug Treatment Centres (Gravesham)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug treatment centres there are in the Gravesend area.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	The National Treatment Agency has advised that there are five drug treatment centres in the Gravesham area.

Pyramid Posters Ltd.

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which prisons undertake work for the company Pyramid Posters Ltd. what the value of such contracts with each prison is; what the (a) start date and (b) duration of each contract is; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 20 October 2005
	Pyramid Posters Ltd. provide contract work within Ashwell prison and have been trading with HM Prison Service since January 2001.During the current financial year (200506) the venture has so far generated 10,000 of income for the prison. It is therefore expected that the total value of the contract will be approximately 20,000 of income receipts for the financial year. The contract is run on a rolling year basis.

Secure Training Centres

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff have been appointed to each of the secure training centres in each year since they opened; and how many have left in each year.

Fiona Mactaggart: The number of staff appointed to secure training centres each year and the number leaving are shown in the table.
	
		Medway Secure Training Centreopened 17 April 1998
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 1 January 2005 to 31 August 2005 
		
		
			 Starters 
			 Custody staff (7) 66 40 39 130 135 88 36 
			 Other (7) 30 17 12 10 8 3 1 
			 Total  96 57 51 140 143 91 37 
			  
			 Leavers 
			 Custody staff 29 33 36 42 61 95 66 21 
			 Other 2 1 4 7 5 6 3 1 
			 Total 31 34 40 49 66 101 69 22 
			  
			 Rainsbrook Secure Training Centreopened 3 July 1999 
			 Starters 
			 Custody staff  (7) (7) (7) 109 60 52 37 
			 Other  (7) (7) (7) 12 6 5 0 
			 Total 121 66 57 37 
			  
			 Leavers 
			 Custody staff  (7) (7) (7) 31 48 52 27 
			 Other  (7) (7) (7) 7 4 5 3 
			 Total 38 52 57 30 
			 Hassockfield Secure Training Centreopened 17 September 1999 
			 Starters 
			 Custody staff  (8)16 22 31 65 25 32 13 
			 Other  (8)11 23 19 7 8 14 11 
			 Total  (8)27 45 50 72 33 46 24 
			  
			 Leavers 
			 Custody staff  (8)10 33 23 26 25 23 9 
			 Other  (8)10 37 17 15 14 18 7 
			 Total  (8)20 70 40 41 39 41 16 
			  
			 Oakhill Secure Training Centreopened 19 August 2004 
			 Starters 
			 Custody staff   234 106 
			 Other   32 12 
			 Total   266 118 
			  
			 Leavers 
			 Custody staff   77 77 
			 Other   5 11 
			 Total   82 88 
		
	
	(7)Data not available
	219 September 1999 to 31 December 1999
	Notes:
	1.At Medway, Rainsbrook and Oakhill, other staff excludes teachers and healthcare staff, none of whom are directly employed by the STC contractors.
	2.Hassockfield's other staff includes teachers and healthcare staff, as they are directly employed by the STC contractors.
	3.The high number of joiners at Rainsbrook and Medway in 2002 and 2003 reflect the expansion of both centres from 44 to 76 beds. (Hassockfield has 42 beds, Oakhill has 80.)
	4.Joiner/leaver numbers at all centres include staff who were provisionally appointed but did not actually start work with children because they did not pass the initial training course or did not receive Criminal Records Bureau clearance. These staff did not have contact with children.
	5.Rainsbrook introduced a fully automated personnel/payroll system in 2002. Data prior to this period is limited and accuracy cannot be guaranteed, so has not been included.
	6.Staff figures for Hassockfield in 1999 are for appointments after 19 September, when the centre opened. Some staff were appointed prior to opening, but figures for these are not available.

Young Offenders

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether staff working in young offenders' institutions receive training on the management and identification of cases of racism following the inquiry into the murder of Zahid Mubarek at Feltham Young Offenders' Institution in March 2000.

Fiona Mactaggart: All staff working in young offenders' institutions receive training on the management and identification of cases of racism. The training includes explanations of what constitutes a racist incident and how to report and investigate complaints. It also highlights the importance of taking account of the diversity of individual needs. Training specifically for new officers on race relations includes a session covering the murder of Zahid Mubarek.

Young Offenders

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders were given custodial sentences in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age, (b) offence, (c) police force area and (d) length of sentence.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested is shown in tables for the years 1997 to 2003, which is the latest year for which information is available. These tables have been placed in the Library.

TRANSPORT

A19

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents there have been on the A19 between Teesside and Tyneside in the last five years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of personal injury accidents between 2000 and 2004 on the A19 between Teesside and Tyneside are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Personal injury accidents 
		
		
			 2000 134 
			 2001 149 
			 2002 135 
			 2003 136 
			 2004 176 
		
	
	Information is not held on the number of damage only accidents.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the total amount of carbon dioxide released by private motor vehicles in (a) 1984, (b) 1994 and (c) 2004.

Stephen Ladyman: The following table shows carbon dioxide emissions from the private use of household vehicles:
	
		
			  Million tonnes of carbon dioxide 
		
		
			 1990 58.7 
			 1991 58.3 
			 1992 59.0 
			 1993 59.2 
			 1994 57.9 
			 1995 56.9 
			 1996 60.0 
			 1997 61.0 
			 1998 60.5 
			 1999 62.0 
			 2000 61.3 
			 2001 62.0 
			 2002 64.1 
			 2003 63.4 
		
	
	Source:
	Environmental Accounts, Office for National Statistics
	Data prior to 1990 are not available on this basis, and 2004 data are not yet available. The figures are on the private use of vehicles and so exclude use of vehicles by businesses.

Central Milton Keynes Station

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when a decision on the upgrading of the platform at Central Milton Keynes train station is expected.

Derek Twigg: The proposal is at the final stages of consideration and an announcement on the Community Infrastructure Fund grant will be made in due course.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he expects the re-routing of the high pressure gas main from its planned route as part of the Crossrail works at Romford to increase the cost of building the depot in Romford.

Derek Twigg: The re-routing of the high pressure gas main is not expected to increase the cost of building the Crossrail depot at Romford.

Crossrail

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff have been employed on the Crossrail project in each year since the project began; and what estimate he has made of the costs of employing them.

Derek Twigg: I understand from Cross London Rail Links Ltd. (CLRLL) that they employed 32 staff at a cost of 419,000 in 200102, 61 staff at a cost of 2,762,000 in 200203, 85 staff at a cost of 5,020,000 in 200304, and 112 staff at a cost of 5,080,000 in 200405.
	The unit that deals with Crossrail sponsorship in the Department, which includes the Crossrail hybrid Bill team, employed seven staff in financial year 200304 at a cost of 261,613, and 17 staff in financial year 200405 at a cost of 642,267.
	Other officials have been involved in Crossrail related matters from time to time, as have officials in Strategic Rail Authority and Transport for London.

Funding Allocations

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made towards basing transport funding allocations on economic development outcomes.

Karen Buck: The potential impact on economic development is a vital part of our appraisal of all proposed transport investment, and is considered carefully in all decisions on the allocation of funds. The Department for Transport assesses new transport infrastructure proposals using the New Approach to Appraisal (NATA) guidance. This guidance is published on the web and can be found at www.webTAG.org.uk
	NATA assesses the impacts of new transport infrastructure proposals in terms of the Government's five transport objectives, one of which is to support sustainable economic activity.
	The Future of Transport White Paper (July 2004) set out the Government's intention to establish a Transport Innovation Fund.
	One of the fund's objectives will be to provide funding to supplement the resources available regionally and locally in support of schemes which make a major contribution to national productivity.
	In addition the Eddington Study has been asked to advise on the long-term impact of transport decisions on the UK's productivity, stability and growth.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

Karen Buck: The Secretary of State is responsible for the overall delivery of the Department's efficiency programme.

London Olympics

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the North Circular Road between the Lea Valley and Wembley will be designated as part of the Olympic Route Network.

Karen Buck: Yes, the North Circular Road is currently planned to be part of the Olympic Route Network.

Railways

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the statistics for train punctuality are collected and compiled.

Derek Twigg: Train punctuality statistics are collected from detailed data covering all train movements on the national network. Actual times at which trains run are recorded automatically at fixed points around the network.
	These actual times are then compared with scheduled times, and the resulting differences are used to compile statistics relating to punctuality.
	The principal way of compiling punctuality statistics is by recording the percentage of scheduled passenger trains which arrive at their destination within a specified time of their booked arrival.
	This percentage forms the basis of the Public Performance Measure (PPM) which is the comprehensive standard measure used to quantify the performance of Britain's passenger railways.
	Similar destination-arrival percentages are also compiled where companies operate the Passenger's Charter arrangements for compensating passengers in the event of poor performance.

Temporarily Disabled Drivers

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made in preparing draft regulations to allow the issuing of temporary badges for drivers with a temporary mobility impairment.

Karen Buck: Draft regulations incorporating a number of changes to the Blue Badge Scheme, including extending the scheme to people with clearly defined temporary disabilities lasting at least 12 months, are currently being finalised by officials. We will be consulting on these shortly with the intention of implementing the changes early next year.

Transport Projects

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what transport projects his Department is planning for (a) the Hartlepool constituency, (b) the Tees Valley sub-region and (c) the North East region.

Karen Buck: The Secretary of State for Transport plans and funds through his Department and its agencies a variety of capital and revenue projects. He also funds projects which are planned by others, particularly local authorities, through the Local Transport Plan (LTP) process and Revenue Support Grant allocations.
	The LTP system provides capital funding to local authorities to cover expenditure on major schemes (those costing more than 5 million) and minor improvement works and maintenance by way of block allocations.
	In terms of the block allocations, the guideline figures for the five years from 200607 are in the order of:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 (a) The Hartlepool constituency (8)11 
			 (b) The Tees Valley sub-region (8)70 
			 (c) The North East region (8)410 
		
	
	(8)Exact figures are confirmed annually and relate to the assessments of progress in delivering the LTPs.
	In terms of local authority and Highways Agency capital transport infrastructure improvement projects costing more than 5 million, it should be noted that, in July 2005, regions were provided with indicative annual capital allocations to 201516 for transport in order that they could prioritise schemes and provide advice to the Secretary of State in January 2006. Highways Agency trunk road projects in the North East included in this process are all bar those on the A1 in the region to its junction with the A19 from the south.
	In addition to a number of major schemes currently under construction in the region, the Department is involved with its regional partners in the planning of the following major projects. Progress and timing for these schemes will be subject to regional advice, the future availability of finance and individual projects representing value for money:
	(a) The Hartlepool constituency
	No schemes identified at this stage.
	(b) The Tees Valley sub-region
	North Middlesbrough Accessibility Improvement Scheme
	Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor
	(c) The North East region
	Wheatley Hill to Bowburn, Durham
	Sunderland Central Route
	Northern Gateway, North Tyneside
	A1 Adderstone to Belford Dualling, Northumberland
	A1 Morpeth to Felton Dualling, Northumberland
	A19 Seaton Burn Junction Improvement, North Tyneside
	A19 Testos Junction Improvement, South Tyneside
	A69 Haydon Bridge Bypass
	A1 West Mains to Bridge Mill Dualling, Northumberland
	A1 Gateshead/Newcastle Western Bypass Widening
	A19 Moor Farm Junction Improvement, Northumberland
	A19 Coast Road Junction Improvement, North Tyneside
	A66 Bowes Bypass Dualling, Durham
	A66 Cross Lanes to Greta Bridge Dualling, Durham
	In addition to the above, there are schemes that are emerging through Local Transport Plans and on-going development of the trunk road network which will be considered in due course.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Bank Accounts

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what safeguards are in place for people on benefits to protect the confidential nature of their personal bank accounts.

James Plaskitt: As with all personal information supplied to this Department, bank account information is treated as confidential and its protection is taken very seriously. The Department's policy is that we will only disclose personal data to third parties if the law permits us to do so. We may, for example, disclose if ordered to do so by a court; if it is necessary for the prevention or detection of crime; or if the customer has consented to the disclosure.
	Information is stored on departmental computer systems which comply with strict security requirements. Access to the information is restricted and subject to checks, and staff are fully trained in maintaining system security and are provided with guidance on the protection of customers' personal information. Unauthorised disclosure of customers' personal information is a criminal offence under the Social Security Administration Act 1992.

Benefit Fraud

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what performance targets have been set in relation to benefit fraud investigations being undertaken in a prompt and efficient manner.

James Plaskitt: The overriding requirement for all benefit fraud investigations is that there should be no undue delay throughout the investigation process.
	For investigations carried out by DWP investigators, agreed standards are in place that require all fraud referrals to be risk assessed within 10 working days of receipt, and if appropriate an investigation should commence within 10 days of risk assessment.
	In respect of housing benefit and council tax benefit, a new set of performance standards issued in April 2005 sets out the standards that all local authorities should attain in relation to the reduction of fraud and error in the system. The relevant standard is that all fraud referrals should be risk assessed within 10 days of receipt. The fraud investigation, if appropriate, must then be commenced within 10 days of the risk assessment.

Council Tax Rebate (Pensioners)

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what basis it was decided that the 200 council tax rebate to pensioner households announced in the budget was not to be paid to female pensioners between the ages of 60 and 64 years.

Stephen Timms: To avoid discrimination we are required to have the same qualifying age for men and women. The 200 payment will be to households with someone aged 65 or over because most people will have retired by this age.

Disability Living Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2005, Official Report, column 1198W, on disability living allowance, what proportion of people awarded disability living allowance on the basis of behavioural disorder including enuresis and hyperactivity were children.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 27 October 2005
	The requested information is in the table.
	
		Disability living allowance: number of first awards in Great Britain made (a) to people whose main disabling condition is recorded as behavioural disorder-including enuresis and hyperactivity; and (b) the number and proportion of those awards which were made to children under 16 years of age at the time of the award in each of the last five years ending 31 May 2005(9)
		
			 12 months ending 31 May Total number of first awards to DLA(10) First awards of DLA to children under 16 First awards to children under 16 as a percentage of the total number of awards 
		
		
			 2001 12,500 11,500 93 
			 2002 13,600 12,700 93 
			 2003 13,900 12,700 91 
			 2004 15,700 14,300 91 
			 2005 14,200 13,000 95 
		
	
	(9)Figures are given for 12 month periods ending on 31 May of each year because they are the latest available; those for the 12 months ending on 31 May 2005 were published on 27 October 2005. The figures given in the written answer of 20 October mentioned in the question were for 12 month periods ending on 28 February of each year because, at that date, the latest available figures were those for the 12 months ending on 28 February 2005.
	(10)Figures for awards are to people whose main disabling condition is recorded as behavioural disorder-including enuresis and hyperactivity.
	Notes:
	1.First awards are those made on initial claims, reviews or appeals to people not previously in receipt of benefit. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2.In cases where more than one disability is present, only the main disabling condition is recorded.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study for total number of awards and 5 per cent. samples for the proportion made to children under 16.

Disability Living Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of disability living allowance claimants were in work in February, broken down by receipt of the (a) higher rate mobility component only, (b) lower rate mobility component only, (c) higher rate care component only, (d) middle rate care component only and (e) lower rate care component only
	(2)  what proportion of disability living allowance claimants were in work in February, broken down by receipt of both (a) higher rate care and higher rate mobility components, (b) higher rate care and lower rate mobility component, (c) middle rate care and higher rate mobility components, (d) middle rate care and lower rate mobility components, (e) lower rate care and higher rate mobility components and (f) lower rate care and lower rate mobility components.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 27 October 2005
	Figures are not kept for the numbers of people receiving disability living allowance who are in work because a person's employment status is not relevant to their entitlement to the benefit; hence, information is not available in the form requested. The information that is available is in the table.
	
		Disability living allowance: estimated percentage of (a) all adult recipients; (b) adults receiving a care component only; (c) adults receiving a mobility component only; and (d) adults receiving a care and a mobility component in the UK who are in work
		
			 Adult recipients of disability living allowance Percentage in work 
		
		
			 All adult recipients 10 
			 Adults receiving a care component only 14 
			 Adults receiving a mobility component only 9 
			 Adults receiving a care and a mobility component 9 
		
	
	Source:
	Family Resources Survey 200304. Adult recipients of DLA are those aged 16 or over.

Employment Targets

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2484W, on employment targets, when he expects to set the baseline.

Margaret Hodge: We are still discussing the basis of the long term aim of an 80 per cent. employment rate with, among others, the Office for National Statistics.

Incapacity Benefit

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what policies have been introduced to simplify the process of claiming incapacity benefit.

Anne McGuire: A number of measures have been introduced to simplify the process of claiming incapacity benefit, including changes to the permitted work rules, hospital down rating rules, the personal capability assessment process and the introduction of computer produced medical reports. We plan to extend and simplify the linking rules from October 2006.
	We have recently set out our principles for welfare reform and will be publishing a Welfare Reform Green Paper in the near future.

Incapacity Benefit

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have claimed incapacity benefit in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the following table.
	
		Number of incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham; at date shown
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 February 1997 8,000 
			 February 1998 8,700 
			 February 1999 8,200 
			 February 2000 8,400 
			 February 2001 8,600 
			 February 2002 8,600 
			 February 2003 8,400 
			 February 2004 9,000 
			 February 2005 8,700 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2.Claimants include all incapacity benefit, severe disability allowance and national insurance credits only cases.
	Source:
	DWP Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample

Incapacity Benefit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money has been claimed as incapacity benefit in Scotland since 2001.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the following tables.
	
		Incapacity benefit expenditure in Scotland (nominal terms)
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200001 848 
			 200102 838 
			 200203 831 
			 200304 809 
			 200405 814 
		
	
	
		Incapacity benefit expenditure in Scotland(real terms 200506 prices)
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200001 966 
			 200102 931 
			 200203 893 
			 200304 846 
			 200405 834 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are based on data underlying the Country and Regional Analysis 2005.
	2.Figures for 200405 are estimated using 200304 case load and average amounts.

Incapacity Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2005, Official Report, column 2016W, on incapacity benefit, what proportion of the 29,000 people who left incapacity benefit over the last 12 months (a) had a closed certificate, (b) died or (c) transferred to a retirement pension.

Anne McGuire: The 29,000 figure represents the net reduction in claimant numbers between February 2004 and February 2005. As such, it is not possible to provide the breakdown requested.

Incapacity Benefit

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the Gravesham constituency are in receipt of incapacity benefit.

Anne McGuire: As at February 2005, there were 3,600 people claiming incapacity benefit or severe disability allowance in the Gravesham parliamentary constituency.

Incapacity Benefit

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are waiting to receive incapacity benefits in (a) Gravesham and (b) Kent.

Anne McGuire: The information is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Income Support

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the revenue yield would be of restricting payments of lone parent income support to those with children below the age of 12; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: On the assumption that these lone parents would claim earnings related benefits on another basis, the restriction of payments of income support to only those lone parents with children aged less than 12 years would not produce any direct savings.

Industrial Disease RbA12

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend industrial disease RbA12 to include frequent and repeated movements of hand and wrist as a cause of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Margaret Hodge: The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), the scientific body that advises Ministers on the prescription of industrial diseases, is currently undertaking a review of work-related upper limb disorders and, in particular, is analysing the evidence in relation to repeated movements of the hand and wrist as a cause of carpal tunnel syndrome. Its report is expected in June 2006. A review of the evidence is already on the IIAC website. We will await IIAC's recommendations before making a decision on whether or not to extend the terms of prescription.

New Deal

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Workand Pensions how many people in Gravesham have gained employment through the New Deal programme.

Margaret Hodge: Up to the end of March 2005, 1,870 people had been placed into work through the New Deal programme in Gravesham.
	Notes:
	1.Information on the numbers of people placed into work through new deal for disabled people and new deal for partners is not available at constituency level. 2.Latest available data is to the end of March 2005. 3.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate

Pathways to Work

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on incapacity benefit have failed to attend their first work focused interview in each of the pathways to work pilot areas; and how many of these have received a sanction.

Margaret Hodge: It is not possible to be specific as to the number of people who have failed to attend their first work focused interview as this information is not available in the format requested.
	In the period from April to June 2005 a total of 3,531 people in the seven pathways to work pilot areas failed to attend one of their mandatory work focused interviews, however we do not have the information as to whether this was their first work focused interview or a subsequent one.
	Where there is a failure to attend a work-focused interview a letter is sent to the individual making the consequences clear and asking the customer to contact their adviser. Where no response is received, the department will, in cases where the client has a known mental health problem or learning disability, additionally undertake a home visit to ensure the individual understands the requirements placed upon him. The application of a sanction is a last resort. A reminder that a sanction can be applied is almost always enough to encourage someone to comply with the requirement to attend an interview.
	So the very large majority of these customers will have had their interview rebooked and will subsequently attend that interview (or it may be deferred where additional information comes to light that the timing of the interview is now inappropriate). Only in a very small percentage of cases is it necessary to impose a benefit sanction. This is because knowledge of potential sanctions incentivises people to attend their work focused interviews and the system's safeguards ensure that people do not lose benefit because of misunderstandings or an inability to comply with the requirements.
	As a result of these measures it has only been found necessary to impose a sanction, at the end of the process, on 100 people out of the 3,500 failing to attend.

Pathways to Work

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people on incapacity benefit have participated on the Pathways to Work pilots (a) in total and (b) each month; what the average duration of participation is; and how many in total have entered paid employment of 16 hours or more a week.

Margaret Hodge: The average time spent on pathways is just over 17 weeks.
	By the end of June, there were 115,400 new claimantsin Pathways to Work areas. New claimants are expected to attend work focused interviews but their participation in work focused activities is voluntary. 21 per cent. choose to do so and of these, 14,600 have obtained a job. Information is not available as to how many of these have entered paid employment of 16 hours or more a week.
	Information on how many people on incapacity benefit have participated in the Pathways to Work pilots is in the following table.
	
		Number of people on incapacity benefit participating in the pathways to work pilots
		
			 Month/year Monthly initial contacts 
		
		
			 2003:  
			 October 1,229 
			 November 2,736 
			 December 2,384 
			   
			 2004:  
			 January 3,350 
			 February 3,217 
			 March 3,746 
			 April 6,371 
			 May 6,438 
			 June 7,432 
			 July 7,075 
			 August 6,895 
			 September 7,133 
			 October 6,652 
			 November 6,789 
			 December 4,882 
			   
			 2005:  
			 January 6,276 
			 February 6,527 
			 March 6,925 
			 April 6,533 
			 May 6,321 
			 June 6,435 
			 Total 115,366 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Data is to the end of June 2005.
	2.Includes customers making a new claim to incapacity benefit for whom pilot participation is mandatory and existing customers who have volunteered to take part.
	Source:
	Pathways to Work Evaluation Database.

Pathways to Work

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have left incapacity benefit since October 2003 in (a) the UK and (b) pathways towork pilot areas to (i) enter paid work, (ii) claim jobseeker's allowance, (iii) claim retirement pension and (iv) to claim another benefit.

Margaret Hodge: Information is not available for the UK.
	By June 2005 there were 115,400 new claimants in pathways to work areas. New claimants are expected to attend work focused interviews but their participation in work focused activities is voluntary. Twenty one percent. choose to do so and of these, 14,600 have obtained a job. Information is not available on whether these jobs are part-time or full-time. A measure of sustainability is not currently available for jobs obtained through the pathways pilots, but we expect to provide robust information as part of our comprehensive evaluation.
	The available information for Great Britain and the pathways to work pilot areas is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) severe disability allowance (SDA) terminations from 1 October 2003 to 20 November 2004 by destination
		
			  Great Britain Pathways areas 
		
		
			 All IB/SDA terminations 844.2 81.8 
			 Various destinations (including work) 575.8 55.8 
			 State pension (SP) 162.2 15.2 
			 Other benefits 12.7 1.0 
			 Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) 93.6 9.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are shown in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2.'Destination' is the benefit claimed within 90 days of an IB/SDA claim terminating, or for SP, those approaching pension age at their claim end date.
	3.'Other benefits' includes income support and pension credit. Claimants who are already receiving income support (IS)/pension credit (PC) in conjunction with their IB/SDA claim have not been included in this category.
	4.The destination recorded has been allocated on a hierarchical basis, in the following order; JSA, SP, 'other benefits', 'other destination.' For example: If the claimant received JSA and also claimed IS within 90 days, they would be recorded in the JSA category of the table.
	5.'Other destination' includes anyone who does not subsequently claim JSA, SP, IS or PC. This will include people who move into work, return to IB/SDA subsequently, die, or leave IB/SDA for any other reason.
	6.'Pathways Areas' are Bridgend, Renfrewshire, Derbyshire, Gateshead and South Tyneside, Somerset, Essex, and East Lancashire.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 percent samples.

Pathways to Work

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with mental health problems on incapacity benefit have participated in the Pathways to Work pilots; and how many have entered paid employment of 16 hours or more each week.

Margaret Hodge: Information is available to June 2005 on the medical condition of 64,900 pathways participants. Of these, 23,600 (36 per cent.) are classified as having a mental or behavioural disorder.
	There have been 3,300 pathways job entries for participants classified as having a mental or behavioural disorder.
	Information is not available on the number of hours worked for pathways job entries.
	Source
	Pathways to work Evaluation Database DWP Information Directorate

Pathways to Work

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have (a) taken part in an incapacity benefit Pathways to Work pilot and (b) obtained a sustained (i) part-time and (ii) full-time job through a Pathways to Work pilot.

Margaret Hodge: 115,400 people had made a new claim for incapacity benefits in Pathways to Work districts, from when the pilots started to the end of June. New claimants are requested to attend work focused interviews but they are not required to engage in work focused activities. Twenty-one per cent. have taken part in a menu of activities. For example, there have been 6,600 starts with a new deal for disabled people job broker, and 6,700 referrals to the condition management programmes.
	A total of 14,600 people are known so far to have obtained a job. Information is not yet available on whether these jobs are part time or full time. It is too early in the life of the pilots to provide robust information on sustainability. That will form part of the evaluation.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Pathways to work Evaluation Database

Pensioners (Benefits/Assistance)

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in the Kettering constituency received (a) the Christmas bonus, (b) the over 80s age top up and (c) winter fuel payments in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The available information on the Christmas Bonus is in the table and is based on the estimates of state pension recipients.
	
		
			  Estimated numbers of Christmas bonus payable in the Kettering constituency 
		
		
			 September 1999 18,000 
			 September 2000 18,100 
			 September 2001 18,500 
			 November 2002 18,100 
			 November 2003 18,500 
			 November 2004 18,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2.Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	3.The figures for September 1999 to March 2002 are based on data from the five per cent. samples.
	4.The figures for May 2002 to May 2005 are directly from the WPLS 100 per cent. data.
	5.Data sources are not available prior to September 1999.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data and five per cent. samples.
	We do not collect information on the over 80s age top up of 25p a week by constituency, however, they are comparable with the figures shown for the 80+ annual payment in the table.
	Information relating to winter fuel payments for the winters of 199798 and 199899 is not available. The information for Kettering constituency from winter 19992000 is in the following table including details of the 80+ annual payment introduced in winter 200304 and now included as part of the winter fuel payment to those aged 80 or over. These figures are also available in the Library.
	
		
			  Winter fuel payments made in the Kettering constituency 80+ annual payments made in the Kettering constituency 
		
		
			 19992000 17,360 n/a 
			 200001 19,395 n/a 
			 200102 19,745 n/a 
			 200203 19,965 n/a 
			 200304 20,425 4,335 
			 200405 20,510 4,210 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Data is taken at the specified dates
	2.Totals may not sum due to rounding
	3.Figures are rounded to the nearest five
	4.Local authorities and parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 100 per cent. sample

Pensioners (Benefits/Assistance)

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of how many pensioners failed to apply for each of the benefits administered by his Department to which they are entitled in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: Estimates of the number of pensioners entitled to, but not receiving the main income-related benefit administered by the DWP, as well as local authority administered housing benefit and council tax benefit, can be found in the DWP publication series entitled: Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up. Copies of the annual reports are held in the Library. The latest edition presents patterns in the take-up of each benefit, for pensioners, between 199798 and 200203.
	Information on other DWP administered benefits is not available.

Pensioners (Benefits/Assistance)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assistance the Government have given to pensioners since 1997.

Stephen Timms: As a result of the measures that this Government have introduced since 1997, there will be nearly 11 billion extra spent on pensioners in 200506. This means that the average pensioner household will be 1,500 a year better off, and the least well off third of pensioners will be 2,000 a year better off, in 200506 than they would have been under the system we inherited in 1997.
	The measures include:
	Making above inflation increases to the basic state pension in 200102, 200203 and 200304 with a commitment to increase the basic state pension annually by the higher of the retail prices index or 2.5 percent.;
	Introducing pension credit which replaced the minimum income guarantee from October 2003: over 2.7 million households are now receiving pension credit at an average weekly rate of over 43 and with a commitment to increase the guarantee by earnings annually up to 2008;
	Introducing winter fuel payments for people aged 60 and over which are worth 200 for each eligible household and benefit about 11.4 million people in around eight million households in winter 200405. We have also increased the winter fuel payment by 100 to eligible households with someone aged 80 or over;
	Making the one-off 70+ payment in 200405 to help pensioners with their living expenses, including council tax bills. In his pre-budget statement in December 2004, the Chancellor announced a further payment of 50 to eligible households with someone aged 70 or over. In the 2005 Budget, he announced a further 200 payment for this winter to eligible households with someone aged 65 or over. These additional payments will go out with the winter fuel payments for winter 200506;
	Introducing free television licences for people aged 75 or over benefiting over three million households and worth over 100 a year;
	Reintroduced free eye tests for the over 60s;
	We introduced a statutory minimum requirement for local authorities in 2000 to provide at least half fares on local bus services for pensioners. From April 2006, a new scheme will provide free off-peak travel to people over 60 on local bus services in Englandbenefiting around 11 million pensioners;
	The age related personal allowances in 200506 rose in line with earnings to 7,090 for those aged between 65 and 74 and to 7,220 for those aged 75 and over. This means that no person aged 65 or over pays tax on an income of less than 136 a week;
	The age-related personal income tax allowance for the over 75s has been increased, in successive years, by more than the rate of inflationproviding additional help to those on modest incomes.

Savings Credit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the revenue yield foreach of the next 20 years from ending all new claimsforsavings credit beyond January 2006, while continuing with existing claims; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is in the table.
	
		Revenue yield for ending new claims for savings credit beyond January 2006
		
			   Billion 
		
		
			 2006 0.1 
			 2007 0.2 
			 2008 0.4 
			 2009 0.6 
			 2010 0.8 
			 2011 1.1 
			 2012 1.5 
			 2013 1.9 
			 2014 2.2 
			 2015 2.6 
			 2016 3.0 
			 2017 3.3 
			 2018 3.7 
			 2019 4.1 
			 2020 4.4 
			 2021 5.3 
			 2022 6.1 
			 2023 6.9 
			 2024 7.7 
			 2025 8.6 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are in  billions, in nominal terms, and are rounded to the nearest 100 million.
	2.Annual off-flows by five year age band, marital status and pension credit components in receipt are assumed to remain constant.
	3.Discontinuation of new savings credit entitlements is assumed not to impact on guarantee credit expenditure.
	4.For the purposes of expenditure, the average amount of savings credit in receipt is assumed not to vary by age of recipient.
	5.Figures are for calendar years.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Service

Norman Lamb: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to publish the Government's response to Sir Patrick Brown's recommendations on reforms to the business appointment rules for civil servants.

John Hutton: The Government are currently considering Sir Patrick's report which will be published with the Government's response shortly.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Cabinet Office by the Gershon review.

John Hutton: Progress was reported in Budget 2005 and in the departmental annual reports. Further progress will be reported in the autumn performance reports and at aggregate level in the pre-Budget report.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who in the Cabinet Office has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

John Hutton: I am responsible for the overall delivery of the Department's efficiency programme.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Digital Switchover

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance she plans to provide for vulnerable groups in the move towards digital switchover.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 24 October 2005
	Targeted support will be available to households where someone is aged 75 or over; and households with people with severe disabilitiesdefined as those people eligible for either disability living allowance or attendance allowance.
	Assistance will consist of providing the necessary equipment to convert one TV set and the relevant support to install and use such equipment.
	This help will be free for the poorest eligible households, those on income support, job seeker's' allowance or pension credit; other qualifying households will pay a modest fee.
	We also propose to offer some additional support to those who are registered blind so they can benefit from the audio description facilities provided by digital technology.
	The scheme will be established and funded by the BBC, as envisaged in the BBC Charter Green Paper published in March 2005.

London Olympics

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to promote the use of local businesses in the construction and development of the stadiums for the 2012 London Olympics; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: All kinds of businesses, large and small, will be needed to deliver the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics games. Most of the contracts will not be let until after 2008 and tendering opportunities will be publicised by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) when it is established, and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG). Until then, the London Development Agency and Transport for London will invite tenders for all contracts in relation to the construction or transport requirements of the Olympic park via the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).
	The Olympic stakeholders will work to maximise the wide-ranging benefits of hosting the games to London and the whole of the UK.

London Olympics

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what mechanisms will be put in place to avoid (a) overspend and (b) construction delays on stadia for the 2012 London Olympics; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: Subject to the legislation currently before Parliament the responsibility for the delivery of the Olympic stadia, to time and to budget, will rest with the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). This non-departmental public body will operate at arms length from Government. It will be overseen by a highly experienced and independent chair and board appointed fully in accordance with the requirements of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. It will be staffed by people who are skilled and experienced in project management and cost control. The ODA will put in place a range of measures which will include tight contract management, effective value engineering to keep costs down and stay within budget at every stage and daily and vigilant monitoring of costs and progress.
	The ODA will be overseen by DCMS and will provide regular reports to the Olympic board (of which I am a member, together with the Mayor of London, the chair of the British Olympic Association and the chair of the London Organising Committee) and to me as the sponsor of the ODA. My aim will be to ensure rapid progress and effective cost control to deliver the games on time and within the present funding plans. Within those plans the aim is that the costs to band D London council tax payers will remain pegged at 20 a year for 10 years. I am optimistic that with the expertise, governance and controls that we are putting in place this plan can be achieved.

London Olympics

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 715W, on the London Olympics, whether companies involved in supplying goods and services in connection with the candidate city bid are being consulted on the procurement strategy.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA)'s procurement strategy will be fully compliant with UK and EU procurement law, which is designed to ensure that all potential suppliers are treated fairly.
	Companies involved with supplying goods or services in connection with the candidate city bid will be welcome, along with other potential suppliers, to comment when the draft procurement strategy is published. The interim ODA will particularly welcome comments and advice from representative bodies such as trade associations, professional bodies and trade unions.

London Olympics

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 715W, on the London Olympics, how the procurement strategy will deal with (a) disposable or one-off goods and services and (b) contracts in respect of infrastructure.

Tessa Jowell: Detailed strategies for specific classes of goods will be dealt with in the Procurement Strategy. Disposable or one-off goods and services will be specified and acquired on the basis of best and sustainable procurement practice. This will include reuse wherever possible of both disposable products and end of life for non-disposables. Infrastructure contracts will be considered and implemented based on the criteria, which will also be set out in the Procurement Strategy.

London Olympics

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the likely impact on Haringey of London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: We know from the experience of other host cities that the Games will have widespread economic and social benefits for communities' right across London and the rest of the UK. We and our partners in this project will work very hard to ensure that those benefits are maximised for all.
	There has been no specific impact assessment of the London 2012 Games on the London borough of Haringey. However, we plan to use a number of existing venues there for training Olympic athletes. These include: Finsbury Park for athletics and Northumberland Park School for basketball, with consequent benefits for the borough.
	As a neighbour to the Olympic Park area, people living and working in Haringey will also benefit from short travel times to the main venues during the Games themselves. The will also benefit from the wider improvements to transport infrastructure which will be in place before 2012, such as the upgraded North London Line.

Sport England

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 1010W, on Sport England, if she will ask the British Weightlifting Association whether each of its members who has benefited from the Sport England World Class programmes has always been, and remains, a UK national.

Richard Caborn: Sport England provides World Class programme funding to the British Weightlifting Association to support those athletes that are part of its 2006 Commonwealth Games programme.
	Sport England would expect the British Weightlifting Association to confirm the eligibility of each athlete to compete in the Games prior to its nominating them for funding. Eligibility for the Games is dependent on nationality and, in the case of individuals who hold dual citizenship, a period of residency.
	I am in the process of conferring with the British Weightlifting Association about how many of its members that have benefited from Sport England World Class programmes have always been UK nationals.

Stolen Antiquities (Iraq)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture,Media and Sport what steps her Department istaking to help trace antiquities that were stolen from the Iraq National Museum; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: Under the Iraq (United Nations) Sanctions Order 2003 any piece of cultural property illegally removed from Iraq after 6 August 1990 should be handed over to the police. Dealing in such material, which includes that which was stolen from the Iraq National Museum, is illegal.
	My Department is undertaking a number of projects designed to combat the illicit trade in stolen cultural goods. We recently published guidelines to museums, libraries and archives on the acquisition of such items, to help them ensure that their acquisitions are both legal and ethical. We are also funding the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council to produce a website offering advice to anyone wishing to purchase art and antiquities, to help them avoid purchasing illegally traded cultural property.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Business Premises (Revaluation)

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects the appeals on the revaluation of business premises of 2000 to be completed; and when he expects appeals for the 2005 revaluation to start.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) expects to clear the majority of appeals against the 2000 rating lists by 31 March 2006. A small number will remain outstanding where resolution depends upon hearing and determination by a Valuation Tribunal or the Lands Tribunal, following exhaustion of efforts by the VOA to achieve a resolution by discussion.
	Settlement of 2005 appeals has already commenced. Valuation Officers are currently placing into published clearance programmes those 2005 appeals to be dealt with by 31 March 2006.

Pathfinder Renewal Project

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the administrative costs of each Pathfinder Renewal project were in each year of its operation; and how much is planned for 200506.

Yvette Cooper: The grant claims in respect of staffing, administration and programme development costs for each pathfinder are set out in the table. The figures for 200506 show claims between April and September.
	
		 million
		
			 Pathfinder 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Birmingham Sandwell 1.069 0.293 
			 Oldham Rochdale 1.142 1.729 
			 Manchester Salford 4.574 1.551 
			 Merseyside 4.541 3.863 
			 North Staffordshire 1.074 0.957 
			 East Lancashire 3.162 3.302 
			 Hull and East Riding 2.586 0.668 
			 South Yorkshire 2.762 2.829 
			 Newcastle Gateshead 1.481 0.730

Regeneration (Tooting)

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much has been spent by his Department on regeneration projects in the constituency of Tooting in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund is administered by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. This fund was first allocated in 200102 to local authorities in areas of severe deprivation as measured by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2000. Allocations within local authority areas of this funding is the responsibility of the Local Strategic Partnership, based on their knowledge and information of local need. We do not collect information on how Local Strategic Partnerships allocate Neighbourhood Renewal Funding to constituencies and are therefore unable to provide details of how much has been allocated specifically to Tooting. We would anticipate the information being available from Wandsworth Local Strategic Partnership and it is suggested that it is approached to provide such information. Information on allocations of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding at borough level is collected and has been provided in Table A.
	Three other funding streams have contributed to neighbourhood renewal in WandsworthCommunity Chest, Community Learning Chest and the Community Empowerment Fund have all provided funding for community sector involvement in neighbourhood renewal. In April 2005, these funding streams were merged into one Single Community Programme. Information on allocations of the Single Community Programme at borough level has been provided in Table A.
	
		Table A: Funding allocations to London Borough of Wandsworth -- 
		
			  Neighbourhood Renewal Funding Single Community Programme Funding (comprising Community Chest, Community Learning Chest and Community Empowerment Fund) Total 
		
		
			 200102 200,000 100,000 300,000 
			 200203 300,000 95,000 395,000 
			 200304 400,000 377,337 777,337 
			 200405 400,000 232,663 632,663 
			 200506 400,000 (11)114,748 514,748 
			 Total 1,700,000 919,758 2,619,748 
		
	
	(11)To date.
	The Single Regeneration Budget (SRB), which began in 1994, brought together a number of programmes from several Government Departments with the aim of simplifying and streamlining the assistance available for regeneration. SRB provides resources to support regeneration initiatives carried out by local regeneration partnerships.
	The London Development Agency (LDA) is responsible for this budget and the Young People Agent for Change SRB project in Wandsworth has receivedand continues to receivefunding which is outlined in Table B. Again, we do not hold information on how much of this funding has been spent in Tooting.
	
		Table B: Young Peoples Agent for Change Funding ProfileWandsworth SRB Project (actual and forecast spend)
		
			  SRB capital SRB revenue Total 
		
		
			 200001 2.43 25.56 27.99 
			 200102 131.24 236.11 367.35 
			 200203 527.00 565.17 1,092.17 
			 200304 476.27 944.04 1,420.31 
			 200405 141.50 857.51 999.01 
			 200506 10.00 788.72 798.72 
			 200607 159.60 574.95 734.55 
			 Total 1,448.04 3,992.06 5,440.10

Tees Valley Coastal Arc

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what types of development the designation of Redcar as part of the Tees Valley Coastal Arc is intended to (a) encourage and (b) discourage.

Phil Woolas: The Government welcome the leadership that the Tees Valley Partnership have shown in setting out an ambitious investment programme, including areas in my hon. Friend's constituency through the Coastal Arc proposals. The Government, and the Regional Development Agency ONE North East, will be studying these proposals carefully, with a view to supporting priority projects that deliver sustainable economic development.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members' Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Leader of the House what the level of employer contribution is to the pension scheme of Members of Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The employer's (ie Exchequer's) contribution to the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund is determined by the Government Actuary's Department, which carries out a triennial assessment of the general financial position of the scheme. The last assessment examined the position as at 1 April 2002.
	The current rate of employer's contributions is 24 per cent. of Members' salaries. This increased in April 2003 from the then contribution of 7.9 per cent. of Members' salaries. The 24 per cent. of Members' salaries currently contributed by the Exchequer is made up as follows: 19.3 per cent. to cover the employer's share of the cost of pension benefits accruing to current members of the scheme; and 4.7 per cent. to recoup a deficit in the assets of the scheme compared with its liabilities, as disclosed at the 1 April 2002 assessment.
	The Government Actuary's Department's assessment is conducted using standard actuarial methodology. It relies on certain assumptions of a financial and demographic nature, including longevity, Members' likely parliamentary career patterns, and the expected level of long-term real returns on the scheme's investments. The Government Actuary's Department is currently undertaking an assessment of the position as at 1 April 2005, to determine the employer's contribution that should apply with effect from April 2006.
	The rate of contribution made by employees is either 6 per cent. or 10 per cent. of salary depending on their chosen level of benefits.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his (a) French and (b) German counterparts about US involvement in future operations in Afghanistan.

John Reid: I have regular discussions with our international partners, including France and Germany, concerning future operations in Afghanistan.

Bullying

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has undertaken of the prevalence of bullying in the Army; how many disciplinary actions for bullying there were in the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force in the last 12 months; and what guidance he has issued on the reporting of (i) incidents of bullying and (ii) preparations among others to commit an act of bullying.

Don Touhig: The responses to the Army Continuous Attitudes Survey published in October 2004 indicated that three per cent. of Army officers and 7 per cent. of soldiers believed that they had been the subject of bullying in a Service environment in the previous 12 months.
	There is no offence of bullying as such. It is not possible therefore to determine if bullying played a part in Service disciplinary proceedings without examining each case separately. However, records indicate the number of complaints of bullying made during the most recent 12 month period are:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Royal Navy/200405 9 
			 Army 2004 (calendar year) (12)57 
			 Royal Air Force 200405 31 
			 Total 97 
		
	
	(12)Investigations by the Royal Military police in which bullying was assessed to be a relevant factor
	The Services' policy is that no form of bullying or harassment will be tolerated. A revised, unified MOD Harassment Complaints Procedure was issued as a Joint Service Publication (JSP 763) in April 2005, and includes advice on reporting incidents of bullying. All personnel are obliged to challenge colleagues who harass others and to report harassment against themselves or others. Line managers have a duty to be vigilant in identifying harassment, including negative or hostile behaviour from one or more people.

Civilian Service Personnel

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he expects the target reduction for civilian service personnel of April 2006 to be reached by (a) natural wastage and (b) redundancies.

Don Touhig: The reductions being made by April 2006 by the Ministry off Defence will be achieved by a combination of natural wastage, voluntary early release and transfers under Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) arrangements.

Eskopi Garrison, Cyprus

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to reduce (a) illegal drug-taking and (b) excessive drinking amongst British soldiers posted abroad over the last 12 months, with particular reference to the Eskopi garrison in Cyprus.

Don Touhig: No specific changes have been made to the Army's policies on drug and alcohol abuse over the last 12 months. The Army has in place a robust drug policy based on prevention, detection and disciplinary or administrative action. Similarly, the Army's policy on alcohol misuse is based on prevention through education, tackling the symptoms of misuse and where appropriate taking disciplinary action against those who offend.
	Education and information strategies for substance misuse, including both alcohol and drugs, have been developed which are implemented at all stages in the careers of soldiers wherever they are based, on at least an annual basis.
	Although implemented more than 12 months ago, measures in Cyprus include the provision of additional recreational and welfare facilities within barrack areas coupled with a robust out of bounds policy. The Army Compulsory Drugs Test team visits Cyprus on a regular basis.

F15 Accident

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the full report of the board of inquiry into the USAF F15 accident in Scotland on 26 March 2001.

Don Touhig: I am unable to release a copy of the board of inquiry at present, as the next of kin of the pilots have not yet been briefed on the contents. When that process has been completed I will write to the hon. Member, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

F15 Accident

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the board of inquiry into the USAF F15 accident in Scotland on 26 March 2001 was commenced; when it was completed; and what the reason was for the amount of time taken between the accident and the start of the inquiry.

Don Touhig: The board of inquiry into the USAF F15 accident in Scotland commenced on 27 March 2001, the day after the accident, and completed on 8 June 2005.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

Don Touhig: Progress was reported in Budget 2005 and in the Departmental Annual Reports. Further progress will be reported in the Autumn Performance Reports and at aggregate level in the pre-Budget report.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

John Reid: I am responsible for the overall delivery of the Department's efficiency programme.

King's, Lancashire and Border Regiment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 1052W, if he will list those consulted over the new name of the King's, Lancashire and Border Regiment; and how many (a) district councils and (b) hon. Members in the North West were consulted on the new name of the Regiment.

Adam Ingram: Further to my answer of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 1052W, there was an extensive process of local consultation on the titles of the new Regiments before the Divisions made their recommendations to the Executive Committee of the Army Board (ECAB). The conduct of local consultation was very much a matter for the relevant Regiments and Divisions, and they were subsequently not required to formally consult district councils and MPs in advance of their recommendation to ECAB. In making their recommendations, however, the King's Division, where these Regiments sit, were keenly aware of local views.

King's, Lancashire and Border Regiment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many letters of opposition were submitted in response to consultation on the new name of the King's, Lancashire and Border Regiment.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has received approximately 20 letters on the subject of the amalgamation of the King's Own Royal Border Regiment, The King's Regiment and the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, of which one was in regard to the new title. However, this does not include any letters that may have been received by the regimental associations, who sit outside the Ministry of Defence' s chain of command.

Military Records

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will transfer to Scotland the index cards comprising First World War Scottish military records, with particular reference to those held at Hayes and earmarked for destruction.

Don Touhig: As I advised the House on 9 June 2005, Official Report, column 640W, the Ministry of Defence has no further administrative use for the index cards to the World War I army medal rolls formerly held at Hayes. The National Archives has copied and makes publicly available almost all of the information they contain. The Department along with The National Archives, has actively sought to identify a suitable institution prepared to accept the original cards, understanding the value attached to such records by many people. The women's index cards have now been transferred to the Imperial War Museum and the remainder of the collection is with the Western Front Association.
	It would be difficult to extract accurately all the cards relating to Scotland by whatever definition was chosen even if full information was available, and because the index cards are arranged alphabetically to attempt to do so would destroy the coherence of the collection.

Opinion Surveys

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) subject matter and (b) dates were of opinion survey research undertaken by the Department and its agencies in the last 12 months; if he will place copies of the results of each survey in the Library; which companies were used in conducting the research; and how much each was paid.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence has commissioned two corporate level opinion polls in the last 12 months, designed to research the reputation of the armed forces and the Department in a number of areas. The surveys were carried out in March and August 2005 by Ipsos at a total cost of 80,804 including VAT. In addition, an internal survey of Service and civilian opinion on a range of questions was carried out in April by the Defence Analytical Services Agency at a cost of 16,947 excluding VAT.
	Details of other surveys that may have been conducted by the Ministry of Defence and its agencies are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I am today placing copies of the results of all three surveys in the Library of the House.

Territorial Army

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army centres are in the constituency of Hemel Hempstead; what plans he has to open further such centres; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: There are no Territorial Army centres in the Hemel Hempstead constituency. As the hon. Member will be aware, work is currently underway to rebalance the Territorial Army, and the associated estate, so that it is aligned with changes to the Regular Army under the Future Army Structure work. This is a nationwide study that is not due to report until later in the year and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the outcome.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of the school fruit and vegetable scheme has been.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	From 200001 to 200405, 87.55 million was spent on the school fruit and vegetable scheme, provided by the Department and the new opportunities fund. From April 2005, the Department has committed 43.5 million to fund the scheme in 200506.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Darfur

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Darfur; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the activities of militia groups on that situation.

Hilary Benn: The humanitarian situation in Darfur remains serious. 1.8 million people have been forced toflee their homes and 3.4 million are dependent on humanitarian assistance. Although the latest UN mortality survey shows that the number of deaths hasdecreased significantly, the security situation has deteriorated in recent months with an increase in banditry hampering humanitarian relief operations, particularly in West Darfur. Road access for humanitarian agencies in West Darfur has been cut and the UN has positioned air transport in El Geneina to meet priority humanitarian needs and is confident that essential operations can be maintained. In central Darfur, the upsurge in fighting has seen new waves of localised displacement. Contingency planning for more disruption is underway by the humanitarian agencies and we stand ready to provide additional support if required.
	The UN Secretary General's September 2005 report on Darfur states that all parties (SLA, Government, Arab militia) except the JEM initiated violent incidents. The African Union Mission in Sudan is investigating these incidents, and we are encouraging them to carry out a verification mission to identify the locations of all parties to the conflict, including militia groups.

Developing Countries

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to prevent British companies (a) engaging in and (b) assisting corrupt practices in developing countries.

Hilary Benn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) leads on engaging with British companies overseas. It has developed guidance explaining the effect of part 12 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security (ATCS) Act 2001. This Act gives UK courts jurisdiction over certain offences of bribery and corruption committed overseas by UK companies or nationals and gives UK companies a strong defence against attempts to extort bribes from them. DFID works closely with other UK Government departments, (including the FCO, the Home Office, HM Treasury, the Department for Trade and Industry and the Attorney General's Office) on anti-corruption activities, including raising awareness of the provisions of the ATCS act. We have a productive relationship with the Infrastructure sector Anti-Corruption Forum and the British Consultants and Construction Bureau.
	DFID'S bilateral programmes, working with other bilateral and multi-lateral donors, support a range of developing country governance reforms, including procurement reforms. Improving developing country systems reduces the environment for corrupt practice by foreigners and nationals by improving accountability, transparency and effectiveness. In addition, DFID has led in assisting several developing countries to enhance their capacity to prevent and prosecute corruption.
	Since untying aid in 2001, DFID make no distinction between British and other companies. DFID's zero tolerance towards corruption is reflected within our standard contractual terms and conditions. From January 2006, procurement by all UK Government Departments will need to take account of the new EU procurement directives. These include the mandatory exclusion of suppliers, where contracting authorities are aware that they have been convicted of fraud, corruption and money laundering (Article 45 of the Public Sector Directive). Internally, DFID is also currently preparing guidance to staff to raise awareness of what constitutes bribery and corruption which will relate to the provisions of the ATCS act 2001.

Developing Countries

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Department decides how much money to allocate to each developing country; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID operates an annual review of budgets that includes deciding how much money to allocate to each developing country. The process involves dialogue at all levels starting with country offices and culminating in approval by DFID's management board and, then, by Ministers.
	DFID uses a financial model to generate suggested allocations for bilateral country programmes. The model takes account of both the extent of a country's poverty and the likely effectiveness of aid in reducing its poverty. Vulnerability to economic shocks and the amount of aid which countries are likely to receive from other donors are also considered in deciding on the appropriate level of aid.
	In addition to the model's results, the regional divisions responsible for DFID's bilateral country programmes analyse a range of factors when considering allocations. These include the effectiveness of multilateral channels, conflict and reconstruction needs, inequality and social exclusion, our historical engagement and the political environment.
	The issue of effective allocation of aid is a broad one, which requires greater co-ordination between all aid donors, since the UK itself provides less than 10 percent. of global aid. We believe faster progress could be made towards the millennium development goals (MDGs) if the world's aid was more systematically allocated to countries most in need of, and best able to use it for poverty reduction. DFID has been urging other donors to focus more of their aid on poor countries and poor people, while recognising that security and conflict prevention have a key role to play. In this regard, DFIDis leading initiatives in the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)'s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) to promote information sharing on different donors approaches to allocation and to create a DAC watch brief on aid flows to a list of fragile states.

Economic Partnership Agreements

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many economic partnership agreements have been concluded; and with which countries.

Gareth Thomas: Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are currently being negotiated between the EU and six regional groups of African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. No agreements have been signed as yet.
	The timetable for negotiation was set out in the Cotonou Agreement and agreed by all parties in 2000. The timetable is determined by the need to comply with the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) rules. Following a challenge by non-ACP members in the WTO, the EU and the ACP are required to replace their current trading relationship with a new agreement that is WTO compatible. A waiver of the WTO rules has been agreed, but this expires at the end of 2007. EPAs should therefore be signed and in place by 1 January 2008.

Governance

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria the Department uses to assess the quality of governance in the countries in which it works.

Gareth Thomas: DFID recognises that development and stability can be achieved with very different governance arrangements, as demonstrated by the experience of countries as diverse as Botswana, Chile, Mozambique and Vietnam. What constitutes good governance varies according to the country context. Therefore, DFID does not assess the quality of governance according to a standard set of criteria in the countries in which it works. Instead DFID analyses the quality of governance according to a framework of capabilities: political systems that extend opportunities to poor people; economic management that brings stability and facilitates investment; delivery of policies that benefit the poor; raising revenue and delivering public services; maintenance of safety security and justice; national security; accountability and tackling corruption.
	DFID builds effective aid partnerships based on a shared commitment to reducing poverty, respecting human rights and strengthening public financial management and accountability. DFID uses criteria to assess specific elements of governance that underpin these aid partnerships with developing countries.
	Within each country partnership, we agree a regular assessment of progress in these three areas to ensure that we are achieving the shared objectives and to inform our dialogue with partner governments. On human rights, for example, we focus on the partner country's own international human rights obligations.

Governance

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list all the countries in which the Department works, ranked in order of the quality of their governance.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not list recipient countries ranked in order of the quality of their governance. This is firstly because there is no agreed appropriate index suitable for all countries. Secondly, ratings depend on the quality of data used and where we are most concerned about the state of governance, data sources are often unreliable and inaccurate.
	The UK Government allocates aid to each country on the basis of levels of poverty in that country, and the ability of the partner Government concerned to make good use of aid. In making these judgements, DFID takes into account detailed country level information, and assessments made by other institutions, notably the World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA).
	A listing of all the countries in which DFID works and the allocation of aid to each are in the 39th Edition of the Statistics on International Development (formerly known as British Aid Statistics), copies of which have been deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

Governance

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Department is taking to use development aid (a) to reward and (b) to create incentives for good government in the developing world.

Gareth Thomas: DFID encourages improved governance and assists with governance reforms through specific programme activities, aid allocations and use of different ways of delivering aid.
	DFID allocates aid to partners on the basis of levels of poverty and their ability to make good use of that aid. Governance is relevant, in that, in general, the higher the standard of governance, the more likely it is that our partners are able to make good use of aid. This is especially true of sound public financial management. The poorer the standards of public financial management, the more control we are likely to wish to retain. If standards of governance are very poor, we may decide not to deliver aid through partner governments but to use alternative channels, such as non-government organisations (NGOs). In these ways, the standard of governance may have an influence on levels of aid and on how that aid is delivered. Recognition of this may provide some incentive to governments in developing countries to improve governance, particularly public financial management.

Governance

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Department is taking to use development aid (a) to penalise and (b) to create disincentives for bad Government in the developing world.

Gareth Thomas: DFID believes that effective aid partnerships are based on shared commitment to reducing poverty, respecting human rights and strengthening public financial management and accountability.
	DFID aims to provide appropriate and realistic support. This may include support to Parliaments, national audit offices and other oversight institutions. This helps to strengthen safeguards against bad Government. Where the standard of Government is very poor, aid may be aimed at helping to fulfil core functions, including protecting people from harm, delivering basic public services and providing an economic framework to enable people to support themselves.
	The UK Government review of aid conditionally concluded that the UK will consider reducing or interrupting committed aid if:
	Countries veer significantly away from their agreed poverty reduction objectives or from the agreed objectives of a particular aid commitment (such as through an unjustifiable rise in military spending, or a substantial deviation from the agreed poverty reduction programme); or
	Countries are in significant violation of human rights or other international obligations; or
	There is a significant breakdown in the performance of partner Government financial management and accountability systems leading to the risk of funds being misused through weak administration or corruption.
	Where a partnership breaks down in this way, the UK Government will judge carefully whether to reduce or suspend aid. This judgment will consider the impact for poor people, and for longer-term poverty reduction efforts, of stopping or continuing aid. The judgment will also take into account any other specific circumstances. In all cases the UK will seek to talk the issues through with partner Governments before taking a final decision.

Low-income Countries

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department (a) is providing and (b) intends to provide for the implementation of anti-corruption measures in (i)countries which have qualified for debt relief under the heavily indebted poor countries programme and (ii)other countries; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID anti corruption strategies make no distinction between heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) and other countries. The approach must be tailored to the specific circumstances prevalent in each individual country.
	Countries qualify for HIPC debt relief where they can demonstrate their commitment to poverty reduction and to sound macro economic management. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also assess public financial management and agree actions that countries will take to improve these systems. Where DFID gives direct budgetary support as part of our bilateral programmes in HIPC and non-HIPC countries, we undertake a comprehensive fiduciary risk assessment based on a thorough evaluation of partner Government public financial management systems, which include a specific evaluation of corruption. Where weaknesses are identified, appropriate anti corruption interventions are designed accordingly.
	Corruption is both a symptom and a cause of poor governance. Therefore, DFID bilateral programmes typically include support to a range of governance reforms. Support has been given to improve judicial systems, for example in Kenya, Nigeria Uganda and Sierra Leone. DFID has also provided technical and financial support to dedicated anti-corruption commissions in Sierra Leone, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia. DFID also supports a number of regional anti-corruption related initiatives spanning many of the HIPC countries, such as the regional anti-money laundering groups representing eastern and southern Africa (ESAAMLG) and western Africa (GIABBA).

Non-departmental Public Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required (a) to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) to publish their response to advice from.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for one advisory non-departmental public body, the Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board (OSPSAB).
	The Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board was created to advise the Secretary of State for International Development on the administration of the overseas service pensions scheme 1985 and the investment of the fund's assets.
	The overseas service pensions scheme 1985 is now in the process of being defunded. On completion of this, the Advisory Board will be dissolved.
	The Secretary of State is not required (a) to consult the Advisory Board prior to legislative proposals, nor (b) to publish his response to the Advisory Board's advice.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; which (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament; and whether it is under a statutory requirement in each case.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for one advisory non-departmental public body, the Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board (OSPSAB).
	The Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board was created to advise the Secretary of State for International Development on the administration of the overseas service pensions scheme 1985 and the investment of the fund's assets.
	The overseas service pensions scheme 1985 is now in the process of being defunded. On completion of this, the Advisory Board will be dissolved.
	The Advisory Board (a) publishes its advice in the minutes of meetings, under the terms of its freedom of information publication scheme, (b) publishes an annual report and accounts which (c) are laid in Parliament, as required by the Pensions Act, 1995.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether it is under a statutory requirement in each case.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for one advisory non-departmental public body, the Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board (OSPSAB).
	The Overseas Service Pensions Scheme Advisory Board was created to advise the Secretary of State for International Development on the administration of the overseas service pensions scheme 1985 and the investment of the fund's assets.
	The overseas service pensions scheme 1985 is now in the process of being defunded. On completion of this, the Advisory Board will be dissolved.
	The Advisory Board does not hold public meetings, conduct public consultation exercises, conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, or publish a register of members' interests. It does, however, publish agendas for meetings and publish minutes of meetings under the terms of the overseas service pensions scheme's freedom of information publication scheme.

Overseas Aid

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Department decides how much money to allocate to different projects within each country; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID country assistance plans (CAPs) set out the details of how DFID, together with its development partners will support developing countries to implement their poverty reduction strategies. These plans are mandatory for programmes incurring DFID expenditure of over 20 million a year. All CAPs are publicly available.
	The plans are updated every three to five years and comprise an analysis of what needs to be done to reduce poverty; and the actions which are currently planned by both the partner Government and other donors to address this. The CAP then provides an assessment of how DFID can effectively complement these activities and where the deployment of our resources can make most impact. DFID's allocations to projects and programmes flow from this analysis.

Overseas Aid

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the overseas projects funded by his Department, ranked in order of their impact on poverty.

Hilary Benn: All DFID projects and programmes valued over 1 million are assessed annually on their individual performance rather than being ranked. The direct impact of DFID's overall activities and their impact on poverty is covered in the two main departmental publications, the departmental and autumn performance reports.
	DFID's 2004 autumn performance report and the 2005 departmental report are available the Libraries of both Houses. The 2005 autumn performance report, which is expected to be published at the beginning of December, specifically highlights the actions and activities that DFID is taking forward to address under-performance against the millennium development goals (MDG)s. I will arrange for copies of the 2005 report to be deposited the Libraries of both Houses once they have been made available.

Poorly Performing Projects

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding was (a) reduced for relatively poor performing projects and (b) increased for more effective projects in each of the last eight financial years.

Hilary Benn: DFID manages its budget to ensure resources are used effectively, guided by agreed strategic priorities and by any adjustments to individual projects and programmes agreed following regular monitoring. We do not keep a record of adjustments between individual projects.

Poverty Reduction

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how the Department measures the relative performance of the projects it funds in terms of their effectiveness in reducing poverty.

Hilary Benn: DFID's Public Service Agreement with HM Treasury commits us to continuous improvement . All DFID projects and programmes have specific and measurable development objectives Those above 1 million in cost are subject to formal monitoring and performance assessment annually, using DFID's project recording and information system for management (PRISM). We also produce project completion reports and run an extensive programme of evaluation to learn and disseminate lessons.

Reproductive Health

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what aid his Department has provided to reproductive health commodities in each year since 200001;
	(2)  what aid his Department allocated for reproductive health commodities in each year between 200001 and 200405.

Gareth Thomas: Sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, are some of the most cost-effective and beneficial health service interventions available. However, the unmet need for condoms, and other methods of family planning, is very high. Globally, some 120 million women and men who say they would like to use family planning have no access to modern contraceptives. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also estimates that the global condom needs for prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is around 9 billion annually.
	DFID is working to change the situation and provides significant assistance to multilateral organisations such as the UNFPA, providing 141 million for the period 200001 to 200506 in core support. An estimated 46.5 million of this amount has been used by the UNFPA for the purchase of reproductive health commodities. DFID is also one of the leading bilateral providers of reproductive health commodities through its country programmes, where reproductive health supplies are an integral part of broader programmes to promote sexual and reproductive health and to prevent HIV. In 200405, this included commitments of 40 million for condoms in Nigeria, 6.37 million for condoms in Vietnam and 220,000 for female condoms in South Africa.
	DFID has been the fourth largest provider of condoms, supporting the distribution of about 150 million condoms annually. In many countries, financial assistance provided through sector and budget support also enables countries to purchase their own reproductive health commodities, which we believe is an important long term approach to ensuring availability of these commodities.

TB Control

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the total UK Government expenditure on TB control in developing countries was between 2001 and 2004; what the proposed expenditure is for (a) 2005 and (b) 2006; how much of the total was (i) multilateral and (ii) bilateral aid; and how the bilateral aid was divided between (A)project support, (B) health sector support and (C)direct budget support.

Gareth Thomas: DFID funds TB control through some specific bilateral projects, but increasingly also funds the broader health sector plans of developing country governments by direct financing through their budgets, or through multilateral organisations such as the World Bank. Such sector programmes will build capacity in health services to diagnose and treat all major causes of illness. It is therefore difficult to attribute accurately all of DFID's expenditure on TB control. The following are estimated figures for funding to TB control through bilateral and multilateral channels.
	DFID's bilateral expenditure directly targeting TB control was 13 million in 200304, and 15 million in 200405. These figures may underestimate DFID's TB bilateral expenditure since they only include the parts of projects which were specifically focused on TB control. They do not count the full costs of these projects which often provide funding to services which support TB control, but are not TB-specific. To count the full cost of these projects may be misleading as other diseases and sectoral areas are targeted within them. Expenditure estimates are not available prior to 2003 as information was not collected in a suitable format.
	DFID provides grants to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) 1 and the World Health Organisation (WHO). We estimate that the amount of DFID funding that went to TB control through these two organisations was 4 million in 200304 and 5 million in 200405. These figures are based on the share of spend which these organisations said they directed towards TB control (GFATM13 per cent., the WHO4 per cent.).
	These figures do not include DFID's expenditure on TB through grants to other multilateral organisations including the World Bank and the European Commission. These organisations will target some of their work towards TB but do not currently report it explicitly in their budgets. Therefore, we are unable to provide an estimate of DFID's TB expenditure via these organisations.
	DFID provides a significant part of its funding directly to government budgets in support of their overall strategies for poverty reduction ('Poverty Reduction Budget Support'). DFID provided 339 million in 200304 and 423 million in 200405 in this way. Partner governments may use some part of this directly for TB control activities. It is not currently possible to provide accurate estimates of the proportion of PRBS which is spent directly on TB control.
	DFID does not have a target for expenditure on TB control. However, we are committed to at least maintaining our level of effort in order to halt and reverse the incidence of TB. We will continue to channel support through bilateral projects, contributions to multilateral organisations and funding to partner governments through PRBS. DFID has pledged 5 million to the global Stop TB Partnership for 2005 to 2007, to co-ordinate technical support and supplies of quality drugs to TB programmes in developing countries, and 200 million to the 'Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria' for the two year period 2006 to 2007.
	1 DFID contributions to the GFATM are made on a calendar year basis therefore the financial year figures above do not reflect the doubling of UK contributions from 2004 to 2005.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Armenian Massacres

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government recognise the Armenian massacres of 191623 as genocide.

Douglas Alexander: The long-standing position of the Government is well known. The Government acknowledge the strength of feeling about this terrible episode of history and recognise the massacres of 191516 as a tragedy. However, neither this Government nor previous governments have judged that the evidence is sufficiently unequivocal to persuade us that these events should be categorised as genocide as defined by the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide.

Bangladesh

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have been held with the Government of Bangladesh on human rights; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I have not had any recent discussions with the Government of Bangladesh on this subject but intend to do so during my planned visit shortly.
	We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Bangladesh and take every suitable opportunity to raise this with the Government of Bangladesh. The British High Commissioner led an EU troika call, specifically about human rights, on the Foreign Minister on 26 October. The Deputy High Commissioner discussed human rights with the Inspector General of Police on 19 October. The High Commission, the EU Commission Delegation, and EU Missions have jointly organised and participated this month in a seminar with civil society on human rights.

China

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when negotiations were commenced with China about the next state visit of the President of China.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 27 October 2005
	The possibility of President Hu Jintao visiting the UK was first explored by officials of the British embassy in Beijing and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in early May 2004. During a visit to London by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao later that month my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister formally extended an invitation for President Hu to visit the UK, Discussions over the timing of the visit began in July 2004 and the dates were formally agreed by the Chinese on 30 September 2005.

Darfur

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) the UN and (b) the African Union bearing down on the activities of militia groups in Darfur.

Douglas Alexander: We hold regular discussions with the UN and African Union (AU) at all levels. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed Sudan with the UN Secretary-General this year, most recently at the UN General Assembly in September.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn) and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman of Tottenham) discussed Sudan, including the issue of how the AU mission can best achieve security in Darfur, with AU Chairperson Konare during their visit to the AU summit in July. They also held discussions with AU representatives during their respective visits to Sudan in June and October.
	We regularly urge the Government of Sudan to rein in the Arab militia, and we have made clear to all parties in Darfur that they must abide by the ceasefire, control their forces, and work towards reaching a political solution.

Darfur

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the International Criminal Court concerning its pursuance of individuals in (a) Darfur and (b) Northern Uganda.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had an introductory meeting with the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 24 June 2004. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman of Tottenham) held a working lunch with the Chief Prosecutor and ICC officials on 26 July 2005. At these meetings, and other meetings at official level, the ICC outlined in general terms, progress in its investigations into Darfur and Northern Uganda as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ICC Prosecutor's decisions on selection of individuals for prosecution are made entirely independently and remain confidential until the Court decides to make arrest warrants public. The UK stands ready to consider any request for assistance made by the Court.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreignand Commonwealth Affairs what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of his Department.

Jack Straw: Employees of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are required on entry to demonstrate a good standard of literacy and numeracy. The training offered focuses on developing these skills to a more advanced level in the context of the FCO's business, for example writing courses and financial management training, which are available to all employees. These courses will be revised in 2006 to build on the Professional Skills in Government Agenda. Occasionally members of staff bid for and receive funding to attend courses, for example at evening classes, to improve their literacy and numeracy.

EU Constitution

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is towards the undertaking of preparatory work in anticipation of the ratification of the EU constitution by the Commission during the period of the UK presidency.

Douglas Alexander: As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 640W, no formal or informal legislative proposals or other initiatives have been proposed by the European Commission which rely on the constitutional treaty as their legal basis. The focus of the UK presidency is on taking forward a broader debate, and taking forward the work of the European Union under the existing treaties.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

Jack Straw: Efficiency gains for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), excluding the British Council and BBC World Service, in 200405 were 6.6 million against a target of 4.7 million. In 200405 the FCO reduced its staff by 50 after adjustments for additional burdens, as agreed with Her Majesty's Treasury. These additional burdens are due to increased visa and consular demand, and are thus self-funded.
	Forecasts for 200506 will be published as part of the FCO autumn performance report later this year.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who in the Department has been made responsible for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

Jack Straw: Responsibility for achieving the efficiency objectives set for the department as a whole by the Gershon review lies with the Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Michael Jay. Within this, individual efficiency projects, including those of the British Council and BBC World Service, each have their own project manager and senior responsible owner.

Liberia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) transparency and (b) legitimacy of the recent election in Liberia.

Kim Howells: The EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) in its preliminary assessment judged the elections to have been peaceful and generally well administered. The second round of the presidential elections is scheduled for 8 November; we expect the EU EOM to make a final report later that month, which we will consider together with other observers' reports.

Prince of Wales (United States Visit)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) Government officials and (b) diplomatic service staff will accompany the Prince of Wales (i) throughout and (ii) for a part of the Prince's next visit to the United States; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, will be accompanied throughout the visit to the US by the ambassador, Sir David Manning. While in New York their Royal Highnesses will also be accompanied by the consul general Sir Philip Thomas, and in San Francisco by the consul general Martin Uden. At the UN event in New York, His Royal Highness will be accompanied by the UK permanent representative Sir Emyr Jones Parry. Their Royal Highnesses will also be accompanied throughout the visit by a limited number of junior staff from the embassy in Washington, and by staff from the posts in New York and San Francisco when in those cities.

Torture (Interrogation Methods)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to discourage the use of torture as an interrogation method in overseas countries.

Kim Howells: The UK unreservedly condemns the use of torture as a matter of fundamental principle. We have worked hard with our international partners to eradicate this abhorrent practice. The UK abides by its commitments under international law including the UN Convention against Torture and the European Convention on Human Rights, and expects all countries to comply with their international legal obligations. We are active in pressing other countries to live up to their human rights obligations and to deliver on human rights commitments they have made.
	International action against torture has been a priority for the Government since they launched an initiative to tackle torture throughout the world in 1998. We pursue the worldwide abolition of torture through diplomatic activity, practical projects and funding for research, This has included worldwide lobbying campaigns for the universal ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture and its Optional Protocol, This year the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has committed over 400,000 in our efforts to combat torture through concrete project work, which includes the production and dissemination of a new manual aimed at guiding police forces on alternative and more humane investigative techniques and a project to increase police professionalism in China.

Western Sahara

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the policy of the Government on MINURSO, in Western Sahara.

Kim Howells: The UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-Genera) and his new Personal Envoy to Western Sahara, Peter van Walsam, to find a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the Western Sahara dispute, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
	The United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara's (MINURSO) mandate is being discussed in the United Nations Security Council this week. The Government support the extension of MINURSO's mandate for a further six months. There are, however, no plans for a UN referendum to be held in the near future.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Adoption

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support services are available for adopted children and their new families, with particular reference to children with psychological and behavioural difficulties.

Shaun Woodward: Under the Adoption (Northern Ireland) Order 1987, health and social services boards and trusts have a statutory duty to ensure that an adoption service is in place to meet the needs, in relation to adoption, of children who have been adopted, parents and guardians of such children, and persons who have adopted or may adopt a child.
	As part of this service, adoption agencies may pay adoption allowances where certain criteria are met, which include circumstances where children suffer from psychological and behavioural difficulties.
	The Department's Adopting Best Care Report also recommended that boards and trusts make provision for fast-track access to child and adult psychiatry and psychology services for looked after children, adopted children and their families.

Alternative Fuels

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to increase the use of alternative fuels in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The draft Budget proposal announced on 25 October 2005 created a new energy and environment fund. This enhances Northern Ireland's ability to produce sustainable energy by securing alternative sources of fuel.
	The fund will complement and significantly enhance existing initiatives by allocating 10 million in 200607 and 25 million in 200708 for capital investment in renewable energy with a further 5 million and 10 million in the respective years being earmarked for encouraging research and development of renewable forms of energy. This will help secure energy from biomass, waste, geothermal, solar and tidal stream power sources and will also encourage scope for the use of bio-fuels. Furthermore, it will, in turn, raise innovation and skills levels and also offer significant opportunities for the creation of new rural businesses involved in renewable energy supply.
	Additionally, householders will be assisted to incorporate renewable energy within their homes thereby reducing both their dependence on fossil fuels and also overall energy costs.
	The renewable obligation which was introduced on 1 April 2005 will continue as the main means to stimulate the supply of electricity from renewable sources which has now increased by 120 percent. to reach 3.5 percent. of consumption.

Asbestos

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take action to stop the (a) disposal of and (b) handling of asbestos waste at Crosshill Quarry, Crumlin.

Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment has no legal grounds to either suspend or revoke the current waste management licence to store and handle asbestos waste at the transfer station at Crosshill. The site operator has planning permission and a valid waste management licence for the temporary storage of asbestos. The Department is currently investigating a complaint about non-compliant waste deposited within the curtilage of the site. A judicial review of the planning permission is ongoing.

Assaults

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been convicted of assaulting their partner in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Statistics relating to convictions for persons who have assaulted their partner are presently not available. I anticipate however that this information will become available towards the end of next year withthe further development of the new Causeway information system.

Assets Recovery Agency

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases were (a) investigated, (b) successfully concluded, (c) closed without action and (d) under investigation by the Assets Recovery Agency in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the number of cases investigated, successfully concluded, closed without action and still under investigation this year is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			   Total 200506 (at 30 September 2005) 
		
		
			 Cases referred 94 25 
			 Cases under active investigation 62 40 
			 Cases concluded (to recovery order) 4 2 
			 Withdrawn cases 42 17

Benefit Payments

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Northern Ireland Housing Executive tenants are in receipt of (a) disability living allowance benefits, (b) incapacity benefit, (c) income support and (d) housing benefits, broken down by (i)district housing executive area and (ii) parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: It is not a condition of tenancy for housing executive tenants to disclose their source of income, therefore the information requested is only available for 78 percent. of tenants who are in receipt of housing benefit.
	A breakdown of benefits, as requested, received by these 78 percent. of tenants, is detailed in the following list by housing executive district area.
	Information is not held on a parliamentary constituency basis.
	Housing benefit is available to help people on low incomes to pay their rent. Income can be from wages or benefits or a combination of both. Of the remaining 22per cent. of housing executive tenants, there will be those in receipt of benefits but this information is not available to the Northern Ireland housing executive.
	
		Number
		
			 Nine District (a)Tenants in receipt of DLA/AA(13) (b)Tenants in receipt of incapacity benefit (c)Tenants in receipt of IS/JSA(IB) PC(G)(14) (d) Tenants in receipt of housing benefit 
		
		
			 Belfast 1 1,040 114 1,712 1,903 
			 Belfast 2 1,400 243 2,272 2,809 
			 Belfast 3 1,768 168 2,800 3,040 
			 Belfast 4 1,532 299 2,558 3,128 
			 Belfast 5 1,272 209 2,258 2,728 
			 Belfast 6 1,403 193 2,485 3,031 
			 Belfast 7 1,243 183 2,245 2,623 
			 Bangor 815 141 1,473 1,941 
			 Newtownards 1,206 224 2,221 2,940 
			 Castlereagh 1,091 220 1,840 2,475 
			 Lisburn 1,456 258 2,327 3,019 
			 Poleglass 743 64 1,658 1,800 
			 Downpatrick 997 125 1,635 1,974 
			 Banbridge 720 117 1,116 1,438 
			 Newry 1,395 133 2,400 2,747 
			 Armagh 732 122 1,237 1,521 
			 Lurgan 1,129 142 1,793 2,189 
			 Portadown 574 115 990 1,243 
			 Dungannon 841 147 1,354 1,594 
			 Fermanagh 902 87 1,654 1,875 
			 Ballymena 681 169 1,689 2,186 
			 Antrim 786 166 1,478 1,915 
			 Newtownabbey 1 684 119 1,352 1,701 
			 Newtownabbey 2 644 105 1,295 1,695 
			 Carrickfergus 503 124 1,139 1,492 
			 Larne 384 68 866 1,130 
			 Ballycastle 249 42 605 733 
			 Ballymoney 514 98 1,000 1,237 
			 Coleraine 746 154 2,028 2,523 
			 Derry 1 1,024 138 1,948 2,151 
			 Derry 2 921 161 1,708 2,057 
			 Derry 3 987 104 2,132 2,316 
			 Limavady 578 71 1,123 1,267 
			 Magherafelt 453 87 863 1,106 
			 Strabane 1,013 101 1,859 2,084 
			 Omagh 830 82 1,429 1,593 
			 Cookstown 465 70 779 916 
			 Total 33,721 5,163 61,321 74,120 
		
	
	(13)DLA refers to disability allowance (care and mobility). AA refers attendance allowance.
	(14)IS refers to income support JSA(IB) refers jobseeker's allowance income based PC(G) refers pension credit guarantee credit. These three benefits refer to the three categories of IS claims.
	Note:
	1.Claimants in receipt of IS/JSA(IB)/PC(G) may also be in receipt of AA or DLA, therefore there is an overlap with these figures.
	2.Claimants in receipt of incapacity may also be in receipt of DLA.

Cardiology

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses specialising in cardiac care there are in Northern Ireland hospitals.

Shaun Woodward: The information required is provided in the table.
	
		Number of (a) doctors and (b) nurses specialising in cardiac care in NI Hospitals as at October 2005
		
			  Doctors Nurses 
			 Hospital Headcount WTE Headcount WTE 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin hospital 12 12.00 47 39.62 
			 Belfast city hospital 12 12.00 69 57.70 
			 Causeway hospital 1 1.00 6 6.00 
			 Craigavon Area hospital 7 6.30 49 44.65 
			 Lagan Valley hospital 1 1.00 2 2.00 
			 Downe hospital 1 1.00 1 1.00 
			 Mater Infirmorum hospital 4 4.00 29 26.30 
			 Daisy Hill hospital 2 1.00 21 17.17 
			 Royal group of hospitals 64 60.85 299 268.65 
			 Tyrone county hospital 1 1.00 10 8.30 
			 Erne hospital 1 1.00 11 8.50 
			 Ulster hospital 8 8.00 54 46.79 
			 Antrim Area hospital 4 n/a 50 34.42 
			 Mid-Ulster hospital 0 0.00 16 13.54 
			 Whiteabbey hospital 1 n/a 15 12.30 
			 Total 119 n/a 679 586.94 
		
	
	n/a=Not available
	Notes:
	1.Headcount figures for nursing staff at the Ulster hospital are approximate as some posts are shared.
	2.The whole-time equivalent figures for doctors working in Antrim area hospital and Whiteabbey hospital are not available (n/a), as the headcount figure includes general consultant physicians with interest and experience in cardiac care, but who are not full-time Cardiologists.
	3.WTE: Whole-time equivalent.
	Source:
	NI HSS trusts

Cardiology

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses specialising in cardiac care there are in (i) Antrim AreaHospital, (ii) Royal Victoria Hospital, (iii) the Belfast City Hospital, (iv) Craigavon Hospital and (v)Altnagelvin Hospital.

Shaun Woodward: The information required is provided in the table.
	
		Number of (a) doctors and (b) nurses specialising in cardiac care in (i) Antrim area Hospital, (ii) Royal Victoria Hospital, (iii)the Belfast City Hospital, (iv) Craigavon Hospital and (v)Altnagelvin Hospital as at October 2005
		
			  Doctors Nurses 
			 Hospital Headcount WTE Headcount WTE 
		
		
			 Antrim Area Hospital 4 N/A 50 34.42 
			 Royal Group of Hospitals 64 60.85 299 268.65 
			 Belfast City Hospital 12 12.00 69 57.70 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital 7 6.30 49 44.65 
			 Altnagelvin Hospital 12 12.00 47 39.62 
			 Total 99 91.15 514 445.04 
		
	
	Notes:
	l.The Whole-Time Equivalent figures for doctors working in Antrim Area Hospital are not available (N/A), as the headcount figure includes General Consultant Physicians with interest and experience in Cardiac Care, but who are not full-time Cardiologists.
	2.WTE: Whole-Time Equivalent.
	Source:
	NIHSS Trusts

CCEA

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Department for Education plans to publish the conclusions of the evaluation by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment of its trials of pupil profiling.

Angela Smith: The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) will publish annually, in or around October, reports on the trials of the Pupil Profile on an on-going basis. It has placed the reports of the 200405 trials and feasibility studies on its website.

Child Support Agency Management Board

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been promoted to the Child Support Agency Management Board in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and what their religious background was.

David Hanson: It is not possible to give details of the community background of staff promoted to the Child Support Agency Management Board in Northern Ireland as it is an offence under the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998 (subject to certain specified exceptions) to disclose information on the community background of an individual which has been obtained or used for the purposes of monitoring.

Clinical Academics

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the change in the number of clinical academics teaching medical students in the Province has been in the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is not available for the last 10 years.
	Available figures show that there were 59 clinical academics in 2002 and the there are currently 64. The numbers are likely to increase to 68 by the end of the current academic year with the planned expansion of themedical school.

Crime Statistics

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many young people of school age were found guilty of committing a crime in each parliamentary constituency in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: Conviction data is not readily available broken down by Northern Ireland constituency. The statistics included in the following table are for offenders aged 10 to 18-years, and are based on the police district command unit in which an offender's address falls.
	2003 data is currently the most recent available. Figures for 1999 have not been included as they can not be compared due to changes in the recording mechanism.
	
		Number persons aged 1018-years found guilty by police district command unit(15)
		
			  2003 2002 2001(16) 2000(16) 
		
		
			 Antrim 74 75 50 99 
			 Ards 88 102 102 85 
			 Armagh 91 65 69 71 
			 Banbridge 47 66 47 68 
			 Belfast East 126 104 148 176 
			 Belfast North 342 274 227 303 
			 Belfast South 114 95 96 156 
			 Belfast West 294 247 216 304 
			 Ballymena 139 131 124 90 
			 Bally money 28 31 16 28 
			 Carrickfergus 36 74 60 70 
			 Coleraine 101 118 86 86 
			 Cookstown 49 50 46 44 
			 Craigavon 138 145 131 136 
			 Castlereagh 75 58 56 72 
			 Dungannon 50 52 84 73 
			 Down 90 99 93 66 
			 Fermanagh 91 113 103 80 
			 Foyle 212 218 257 266 
			 Larne 66 80 66 65 
			 Limavady 52 55 50 62 
			 Lisburn 147 132 168 155 
			 Magherafelt 48 43 36 35 
			 Moyle 21 30 19 22 
			 Newtownabbey 101 80 98 106 
			 North Down 101 134 134 137 
			 Newry and Mourne 102 74 87 109 
			 Omagh 57 76 70 96 
			 Strabane 81 68 67 50 
			 Missing(17) 58 44 51 57 
			 Total 3,019 2,933 2,857 3,167 
		
	
	(15)Data are based on the police district command unit in which an offender's address falls.
	(16)The structure of police district command unit became operational in April 2001. However, for the purposes of comparability, calendar year 2000 data are also disaggregated by DCU, rather than police division.
	(17)Missing data relate to those offenders for which DCU information is not available.

Departmental Estate

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total floor space area is of buildings (a) owned and (b) leased by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Peter Hain: The Department owns 47 properties and leases a further 76. It is not possible to give the total floor space for all these properties except at disproportionate cost.
	This answer only applies to the Northern Ireland Office and not to the 11 Departments of the devolved administration.

Departmental Expenditure

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each year since 200102.

Shaun Woodward: This answer relates only to the Northern Ireland Office and does not include information in respect of the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland Administration.
	The following table lists the total cost of newspapers, magazines and periodicals in each year since 200102.
	
		
			 Financial year Cost () 
		
		
			 200405 70,706 
			 200304 78,033 
			 200203 78,278 
			 200102 68,505

Departmental Expenditure

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State forNorthern Ireland how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in each financial year since 2001.

David Hanson: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for NorthernIreland what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Department.

Shaun Woodward: All new recruits to the general grades in the Northern Ireland Office must satisfy a minimum academic standard. Other new recruits have to meet different requirements or standards relevant to the specialism of the specific post/grade.

Departmental Stationery

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what measures he has put in place to ensure that his Department meets the targets set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that all copying paper bought by the Department is 100 per cent. recycled with a minimum of 75 per cent. post consumer waste content; and by what date this target is expected to be achieved;
	(2)  what percentage of (a) copying paper and (b) paper for printed publications used by the Department in (i) 200304 and (ii) 200405 was from recycled sources; and how much post consumer waste this paper contained;
	(3)  what measures he has put in place to ensure that his Department meets the targets set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure thatall paper for printed publications bought by the Department is 60 per cent. recycled of which a minimum of 75 per cent. post consumer waste content; and by what date this target is expected to be achieved.

Peter Hain: For internal printing and copying the Department uses a standard paper manufactured from 100 per cent. recycled paper with a minimum 75 per cent. post consumer waste. Instructions will be issued shortly on the quality of paper to be used in printed publication sourced outside the Department. Figures for the use of paper and its manufacturer content in 200304 and 200405 are not held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	This answer only applies to the Northern Ireland Office and not to the 11 Departments of the devolved administration.

Departmental Stationery

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the Department's main suppliers of (a) copier paper, (b) stationery, (c) envelopes and (d) paper for reports, stating in each case (i) the name of each paper used and (ii) the (A)recycled and (B) post-consumer recycled content of each paper.

Peter Hain: The Department acquires its copier paper, stationery, envelopes and paper for reports from call off contracts established by the central procurement directorate, DFP. The five main contractors are Banner Business Supplies, Office Depot, Antalis, McNaughton and Supplies Team. The copier paper is 80g/m 2 Evolve manufactured from 100 percent. recycled paper with a minimum 75 percent. post consumer waste. Envelopes are normally 80 percent. to 100 percent. recycled with at least 60 percent. to 85 percent. being post consumer waste.
	This answer only applies to the Northern Ireland Office and not to the 11 Departments of the devolved administration.

Diamorphine Prescriptions

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many drug addicts were prescribed diamorphine in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by health board or trust.

Shaun Woodward: No drug addicts were prescribed diamorphine for the treatment of their addiction in the last five years in Northern Ireland.

Diamorphine Prescriptions

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland have licences to prescribe diamorphine.

Shaun Woodward: General Practitioners, and other medical practitioners, are not required to have a licence to prescribe diamorphine for the purposes of relieving pain from organic disease or injury. However, a licence is required to prescribe, administer or supply diamorphine in the treatment of drug addiction. No such licences have been issued in Northern Ireland.

Disability Living Allowance

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland (a) claimed and (b) received disability living allowance payments in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The figures requested are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Claims Received Claims Awarded 
		
		
			 20002001 23,072 14,628 
			 20012002 23,604 13,703 
			 20022003 23,770 12,940 
			 20032004 23,409 15,668 
			 20042005 22,733 11,773

Dispersal Orders

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dispersal orders have been made under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The provisions of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 extend only to England and Wales. Dispersal orders are not provided for in Northern Ireland legislation.

Doctors

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many doctors in Northern Ireland are unemployed; and how many vacancies there are for doctors in the NHS.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the number of unemployed doctors in the NHS is not available.
	Information on the number of vacancies for doctors in the NHS is provided as follows.
	
		Number of current and long-term vacancies for doctors by grade in the NI HPSS as at 31 March 2005
		
			  Current Long-term 
			 Grade Headcount WTE Headcount WTE 
		
		
			 Consultant 83 80.90 67 65.50 
			 Associate Specialist 1 0.50 0 0.00 
			 Staff Grade 30 29.00 16 16.00 
			 PRHO 14 14.00 0 0.00 
			 SHO 79 79.00 0 0.00 
			 Medical Officer 6 0.93 1 0.20 
			 Total 213 204.33 84 81.70 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.General Practitioner vacancies are not included in the table as the concept of a General Practitioner vacancy no longer exists under the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract. In the case of a single-handed practice, if the General Practitioner retires, resigns or is not available to practice the Primary Care Organisation (PCO) has an obligation to ensure that services are provided through contract with a new or existing provider.
	2.A current vacancy is an unoccupied post, which at 31 March 2005 was vacant and which the organisation was trying to fill. A long-term vacancy is an unoccupied post which at 31 March 2005 had been vacant for three months or more, and which the organisation was actively trying to fill.
	3.WTE: Whole-Time Equivalent.
	Source:
	NI HSS Trusts

Domestic Violence

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Government plan to take to increase protection for victims of domestic violence.

David Hanson: On 10 October 2005 I launched the Northern Ireland regional strategy and accompanying action plan Tackling Violence at Home. The strategy sets out the Government's long-term commitment to address the serious problem of domestic violence and abuse.
	A key aim of the strategy is to improve services and support for all victims of domestic violence and to advise victims about these services. The action plan accompanying the strategy sets out in more detail our specific plans, but these include media campaigns to encourage more victims to report incidences of domestic violence, informing victims about the remedies available to them under both the civil and criminal law and having criminal justice agencies to publish and implement victim policies.
	These initiatives build on a number of other recent important protections introduced through legislation. Under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, the PSNI can now arrest persons for common assault offences. In addition, from 15 November, the maximum penalty in respect of a breach of a protective order will be increased from three to six months imprisonment.
	Finally, by March 2006, we propose to produce guidelines for issue to all Northern Ireland hon. Members and Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly both to raise awareness but also to provide them with information and advice about how to handle approaches from victims.

Driving Licences

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have (a) a full driving licence and (b) a provisional driving licence in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: At 18 October 2005 there were 893,867 holders of a current full driving licence and 138,721 holders of a current provisional licence in Northern Ireland.

Driving Licences

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) men and (b) women over the age of 70 years hold driving licences in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: At 24 October 2005 there are 27,373 females and 45,690 males, aged 70 or over, who hold either a provisional or full current driving licence.

EAL

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will meet teachers of English as an Additional Language (EAL) to discuss the development of an EAL policy for Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Neither the Secretary of State, nor myself have received any formal requests to meet with teachers of English as an Additional Language (EAL).
	My Department has recognised the need for a policy for children who have English as an additional or second language and who have significant difficulties with English. At present officials are in the early stages of developing a policy, which should be in place during 2006. In the interim, work is under way to bring about early improvements to the current provision.
	During the policy development, there will be full ad meaningful consultation with all interested parties including teachers of English as an additional language. It would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State to meet with teachers at this stage, as they will have the opportunity to contribute to the formulation of a EAL policy during the consultation process.

Education and Library Boards

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many education and library boards have yet to submit finalised accounts for the 200405 financial year.

Angela Smith: All five boards have submitted their accounts for the 200405 financial year to the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) and the Department.

Education and Library Boards

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance is given to education and library boards in respect of bills received after theend of the financial year that occurred during that year.

Angela Smith: The Department expects the board to account for bills received after the end of the financial year that occurred during that year in accordance with standard resource accounting best practice and to prepare their accounts as set out in the Accounts Direction issued to them on 22 July 2004 and in Government Accounting Northern Ireland (GANI).

Education and Library Boards

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how long after the financial year has ended education boards are required to adjust accounts for payments incurred in that financial year.

Angela Smith: Education and Library Boards are required to submit their annual accounts to the Department and the Comptroller and Auditor General (C and AG) by 30 June following the end of the financial year. The accounts are then subject to audit. If any material errors are found during the course of the audit, the accounts may require adjustment up to the date of approval of the accounts by the accounting officer and the C and AG.

Electoral Fraud

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many successful prosecutions were made against heads of household for electoral fraud in each of the past 20 years.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply
	Information on heads of household is not available. However, information on various electoral fraud offences from 1994 to 2003 (the most recent year for which figures are available) is set out in the following table. In addition we are aware of the following prosecutions which relate to electoral matters even though they were made under other provisions, such as forgery or conspiracy to defraud. The cases include; Hackney where two councillors were imprisoned in 2001 for three years each for registering electors falsely. In Blackburn, a Labour councillor pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the returning officer. He was sentenced to three years and seven months on 8 April 2005. In Guildford, a former Conservative councillor was jailed for four months in April 2004 for forging ballot papers in a local election. Data on whether any of those individuals prosecuted were heads of households is not collected.
	
		Persons(18) proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts of various fraud related offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983, England and Wales 1994 to 2003(19)
		
			  Offence description(20) 
			  Persons proceeded against Persons found guilty 
		
		
			 1994 1 2 
			 1995 12 14 
			 1996 0 0 
			 1997 9 5 
			 1998 7 6 
			 1999 3 5 
			 2000(21) 2 1 
			 2001 16 10 
			 2002 1 1 
			 2003 0 0 
		
	
	(18)These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(19)Convictions do not necessarily occur in the same year that proceedings are initiated.
	(20)Tampering with nomination and ballot papers etc, making false declarations as to election expenses, bribery, treating, undue influence and personation offences.
	(21)Excluding any cases in Staffordshire.

Fire Fatalities

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fatalities in Northern Ireland have been attributed to fires in each of the past five years.

Shaun Woodward: The number of accidental fire deaths in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			 From 1 April to 31 March each year Number of persons 
		
		
			 200101 10 
			 200102 14 
			 200203 10 
			 200304 10 
			 200405 8

Football Banning Orders

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many football supporters in Northern Ireland are subject to football banning orderspreventing travel to football matches outside the UK.

David Hanson: Football banning orders are not available to the courts in Northern Ireland, though I am currently considering their adoption in this jurisdiction.

Global Point

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the first buildings to be erected at Global Point, Newtownabbey.

Angela Smith: Further development at Global Point, including erection of the first buildings, is not expected until after the public inquiry into the Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan is completed.

Green Ministers

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what (a) work his Department's Green Minister has undertaken in the last three months and (b) meetings the Green Minister has attended in thelast 12 months in his official capacity within that role;
	(2)  if he will list the meetings his officials have attended concerning the delivery of sustainable development across Government as co-ordinated by the Ministerial Sub-committee of Green Ministers.

Angela Smith: The Minister of State (Lord Rooker) became a member of the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Sustainable Development in Government (EE (SD)) in June 2005.
	Although the Government publish the title, membership and terms of reference of cabinet committees, it has been the practice of successive governments not to disclose details of their proceedings.
	Over the last three months the Minister has presided over the development of the emerging NI sustainable development strategy. He has attended many meetings and events where he has been pro-active in making the linkages to and promoting the principles of sustainable development.
	For example, he hosted a reception for NI environmental NGO's where the issue of sustainable development was a key feature of his speech, he spoke at the Goldin Waste Fair to promote business opportunities in the recycling sector, and last month, when he was unable to attend a Consumer Council event on sustainable consumerism, he recorded a DVD to be used as an introduction to the conference.
	Because of its cross-cutting nature, sustainable development is a consideration in most meetings attended by DOE officials. Officials have been engaging with key stakeholders in the business, community and voluntary sectors along with central and local government colleagues in progressing the forthcoming strategy due for launch on 13 December 2005.

Health Expenditure

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the health expenditure per head of population in Northern Ireland has been in each year since 2000.

Shaun Woodward: The public expenditure on health per head of population in the province for the last five financial years was as follows:
	
		
		
			  Expenditure per head of population 
		
		
			 200001 1,030 
			 200102 1,109 
			 200203 1,231 
			 200304 1,367 
			 200405 1,447

Household Insurance

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of households in each region were without household insurance in the most recent year for which figures are available ranked in descending order.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available.

Illegal Waste

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of illegal cross-border waste disposal have been identified in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Since the Department of the Environment's Environment and Heritage Service took on responsibility for the regulation of illegal waste activity in October 2002, approximately 53 illegal waste disposal sites containing waste from the Republic of Ireland have been detected in Northern Ireland and investigated by the Environment and Heritage Service. There was one site detected in 2002, 32 sites in 2003, 17sites in 2004 and three in 2005. There are no records for 2001.
	The Environment and Heritage Service will continue to search for other sites concealed in remote locations and rigorously apply the law.

Incapacity Benefit

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland claimed incapacity benefits in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The figures requested are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Claims 
		
		
			 200001 40,681 
			 200102 39,675 
			 200203 38,716 
			 200304 35,967 
			 200405 33,973

Looked After Children

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children were in public care in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by age and sex.

Shaun Woodward: The DHSSPS collects information annually on the numbers of children looked after by Health and Social Services Trusts in Northern Ireland at 31 March.
	For the last five years for which information is available, the numbers of children looked after in Northern Ireland is detailed in Table 1, and by age and sex in Table 2.
	
		Table 1: Children looked after in Northern Ireland at 31 March 200004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000 2,422 
			 2001 2,414 
			 2002 2,453 
			 2003 2,446 
			 2004 2,510 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Numbers of children looked after in Northern Ireland at 31 March 2000 to 2004 by age group and sex
		
			 Age Group 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
			 (years) Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls 
		
		
			 1 33 27 32 26 35 22 24 37 34 40 
			 14 174 174 177 191 191 189 171 173 173 175 
			 511 450 421 459 419 470 395 457 415 462 419 
			 1215 389 338 363 347 375 365 394 344 428 347 
			 16+ 202 204 222 208 208 221 202 210 198 215 
			 Total 1,248 1,174 1,245 1,169 1,262 1,191 1,270 1,176 1,314 1,196

Low Birth Weight Babies

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many low birth weighte babies there were in each region in the most recent year in which figures are available expressed as (a) a percentage of allbirths and (b) the number ranked in descending order.

Shaun Woodward: The number of low birth weight babies that were born within each Health Board for 200405 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Health Board (a) Percentage of all births (b) Number of low birth weight babies 
		
		
			 Eastern 6.68 543 
			 Northern 5.96 342 
			 Southern 6.04 291 
			 Western 5.37 203 
			 Northern Ireland 6.14 1,379 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.All births and low birth weight births include live and still.
	2.A low birth weight baby is regarded as weighing less than 2,500 grams.
	Source:
	Child Health System (CHS)

Lupus

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were diagnosed with lupus in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the number of individuals diagnosed with lupus in Northern Ireland is not available. Information is available on the number of sufferers admitted to hospital.
	The following table shows the number of admissions 1 to hospital in Northern Ireland, in each of the last five years, where the patients' primary diagnosis was lupus erythematosus or systematic lupus erythematosus.
	
		
			  Lupus erythematosus Systematic lupus erythematosus Total Admissions(22) with a primary diagnosis of lupus 
		
		
			 200001 19 197 216 
			 200102 30 174 204 
			 200203 12 249 261 
			 200304 23 221 244 
			 200405 25 214 239 
		
	
	(22)Discharges and deaths are used as an approximation for admissions. It is possible that any individual could be admitted to hospital more than once in any year and will thus be counted more than once as an admission.
	Source:
	Hospital inpatients system

M2

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to alleviate congestion on the M2 out of Sandyknowles.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm Mckibbin to Dr. William McCrea dated 27 October 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a parliamentary question about what steps he is taking to alleviate congestion on the M2 out of Sandyknowes. I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	Roads Service plans to widen the Belfast-bound carriageway of the M2 motorway to create an additional lane between the Sandyknowes and Greencastle junctions. This will make it easier for traffic to join the M2 from the Sandyknowes junction, particularly during the morning peak traffic, and also provide greater capacity on the Belfast-bound section of the M2 towards Greencastle. Construction of these improvements on the M2 is expected to start during 2008.
	The 30 million M2 Widening Scheme is one of three schemes forming part of the 100 million Roads Service Design, Build, Finance and Operate Package 1, along with the Ml/Westlink Project and the Antrim Hospital slip roads.
	I can also advise that the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan proposes modifications to the Sandyknowes roundabout to minimise conflicts between different traffic movements and afford greater priority to the strategic M2 and A8 movements. Roads Service is currently investigating various design options.
	I hope this information is helpful.

NHS Equipment

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate has been made of the cost to the NHS of the failure to return equipment loaned to patients in the last two years.

Shaun Woodward: The information requested is not available.

Northern Bank Robbery

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his most recent assessment is of whether the Provisional IRA carried out the Northern Bank robbery.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Constable has publicly stated that in his professional opinion, and based on the intelligence to hand, responsibility for the Northern Bank robbery must be attributed to the Provisional IRA. That is still his view.
	The Government fully accepts the Chief Constable's judgment which was further endorsed by the Independent Monitoring Commission in its report of 10 February 2005.

Orthodontics

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what orthodontic treatment is available on the NHS to the people of Northern Ireland; and what the charges are for each type of treatment.

Shaun Woodward: Health service orthodontic treatment is available to everyone here on the basis of clinical need. Most treatment is given following a referral from a general dental practitioner to a specialist orthodontist or a practitioner with orthodontic experience. The fees for each type of treatment are as follows:
	
		Intra-oral appliances -- 
		
			 Appliance Patient charge per appliance 
		
		
			 Removable spring and/or screw type appliance 87.80 
			 Simple fixed type appliance 84.20 
			 Fixed multiband or multibracket appliance 246.24 
			 Functional appliance 151.00 
			 Bite plane appliance 64.44 
			   
			 Additional fee for extra-oral traction or anchorage reinforcement, where necessary 
			 Extra-oral traction 35.84 
			 Anchorage reinforcement 35.84 
		
	
	
		Retention -- 
		
			  Charge 
		
		
			 (1) Supervision of retention for a period of not less than 5complete calendar months 
			 Per course of treatment 22.24 
			 Per additional period(23) 11.16 
			   
			 (2) Retention appliance(24) (fee per appliance)  
			 Removable retainer in acrylic resin 43.40 
			 Fixed or bonded retainer 49.48 
			 Removable pressure formed retainer 35.20 
		
	
	(23)Additional fee for each further period of supervision of not less than two complete calendar months, normally subject to a maximum of two such periods.
	(24)Normally only one removable or one fixed retainer per arch and only provided after active appliance treatment.
	Repairs to orthodontic appliances
	No charge.
	
		Additions to or inclusions in orthodontic appliances of an artificial tooth to replace a missing natural tooth -- 
		
			 Addition or inclusion of an artificial tooth (including any associated gum) Charge for each tooth 
		
		
			 To a fixed appliance or fixed retainer 9.60 
			 To a removable appliance or removable retainer 14.24 
		
	
	
		Replacement of appliances lost or damaged beyond repair -- 
		
			 Appliance Cost per appliance 
		
		
			 Space maintainer or retention appliance 34.60 
			 Removable spring and/or screw type appliance 47.08 
			 Simple fixed type appliance 48.24 
			 Fixed multiband or multibracket appliance 90.36 
			 Functional appliance 55.72 
		
	
	Any other orthodontic treatment
	Such fee as the Dental Committee of the Central Services Agency may determine

Planning

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will publish the draft retail planning policy document; and what assessment he has made of the effects of the delay in its publication.

Angela Smith: The Minister of State for Northern Ireland with responsibility for planning (Lord Rooker) issued a press release on 18 August announcing that he would be monitoring developments of a major retail development application at Sprucefield in deciding the timing and content of draft PPS 5.
	There is on going assessment of the impact of the delay in publishing draft PPS 5.

Police Transport

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) cars, (b) vans, (c) motor cycles and (d) bicycles are operated in each police division in Northern Ireland.

Shaun Woodward: The total number of vehicles allocated to District Command Units is listed as follows. For operational security reasons it is not possible to disclose the types and number of motor vehicles within each DCU. A breakdown of bicycles by DCU has been provided on a separate table.
	
		
			 Type of vehicle Total number 
		
		
			 Cars 712 
			 Landrovers 70 
			 Vans 81 
			 Motorcycles 56 
			 Bicycles 69 
		
	
	
		
			 DCU Quantity of bicycles Station 
		
		
			 Antrim 2 Antrim 
			 Ards 2 Newtownards 
			 Armagh 2 Gough Barracks 
			  2 Armagh 
			 Ballymena 3 Ballymena 
			 Ballymoney 2 Ballymoney 
			 Banbridge 2 Banbridge 
			 Carrickfergus 2 Carrickfergus 
			 Castlereagh 2 Castlereagh 
			 Coleraine 2 Coleraine 
			 Cookstown 2 Cookstown 
			 Dungannon 2 Dungannon 
			 East Belfast 2 Strandtown 
			 Fermanagh 2 Enniskillen 
			 Foyle 2 Strand Road 
			 Larne 2 Larne 
			 Limavady 2 Limavady 
			 Lisburn 2 Lisburn 
			 Craigavon 2 Portadown 
			  2 Lurgan 
			 Magherafelt 2 Magherafelt 
			 Moyle 2 Ballycastle 
			 Newry and Mourne 2 Ardmore 
			 Newtownabbey 4 Newtownabbey 
			 North Belfast 4 Antrim Road 
			 North Down 2 Bangor 
			 Omagh 2 Omagh 
			 South Belfast 2 Musgrave Street 
			  4 Ballynafeigh 
			  2 Lisburn Road 
			 Strabane 2 Strabane 
			 Total bicycles on issue 69

Prisoner Releases

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners were released on temporary licence in the last year for which figures are available; on how many occasions; for what purpose; and on how many of these occasions the prisoner (a) failed to return and (b) otherwise breached the conditions of the licence.

Shaun Woodward: 3127 periods of temporary release were granted from prisons, including the young offenders centre, during the period 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005. Of this number of releases, four prisoners are currently unlawfully at large. The level of abuse of Prison Service schemes is small and to restrict temporary release would have a serious detrimental effect on the resettlement of prisoners, the great majority of whom abide by the temporary release conditions.
	The full information requested is not available due to disproportionate cost, including those cases where a prisoner has been granted multiple releases and the number of prisoners who breach the conditions of their temporary releases other than those unlawfully at large.
	Information in respect of those who were temporarily or still unlawfully at large is provided in the table.
	
		
			  Purpose of Temporary Release Total Release Unlawfully at Large (UAL) 
		
		
			 Home Leave(25) 2,030 37 
			 Home Leave(26) 69 0 
			 Resettlement Leave(25) 732 0 
			 Resettlement Leave(26) 100 0 
			 Compassionate Temporary Release(25) 49 6 
			 Compassionate Temporary Release(26) 11 0 
			 Home Visits 13 0 
			 Home Leave at Christmas 102 3 
			 Hospital appointments(25) 21 0 
			 Total number of releases under Rule 27 3,127 (27)46 
		
	
	(25)Unaccompanied
	(26)Accompanied
	(27)Of the 46 prisoners posted unlawfully at large, only four currently remain at large.
	Note:
	The table excludes prisoners on remand and those released on bail as these are determined by the courts.

Prisons

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of prison sentences in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004 were for (i) six months or less and (ii) three months or less.

David Hanson: The following table shows the numbers of persons sentenced to immediate custody for six months or less, and for three months or less, and also presents these figures as a proportion of all persons sentenced to immediate custody in each of the calendar years 2001 to 2003.
	Figures relating to 2004 are not currently available.
	
		Persons sentenced to immediate custody(28) by sentence length; 200103
		
			  2001 2002 2003 
			  Number Proportion (percentage) Number Proportion (percentage) Number Proportion (percentage) 
		
		
			 Three months or less 574 34 594 32 607 28 
			 Six months or less 1,222 72 1,283 70 1,394 65 
			 Total number sentenced to immediate custody 1,706  1,828  2,155  
		
	
	(28)Immediate custody includes prison, young offenders' centre and custody probation. Persons sentenced to juvenile justice centre orders are excluded from the analysis.
	Note:
	Numbers for persons sentenced for three months or less are also included within 'six month or less' category. Percentages are therefore cumulative.

Prisons

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions people have been caught smuggling narcotics into prisons in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many people have been charged.

Shaun Woodward: Detailed recording of monthly drugs monitoring statistics was introduced in March 2003 with information now being recorded on where drugs are found within each prison establishment. Since then records show that a total of 445 visitors have been caught attempting to smuggle unauthorised drugs into prison establishments.
	
		
			  Number of people found in possession of unauthorised drugs 
		
		
			 200304 157 
			 200405 236 
			 2005-to date 52 
		
	
	Statistics showing the number of visitors charged with drug trafficking into prison establishments are not separately recorded.
	Figures prior to these dates are not available.

Prisons

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were caught with narcotics while serving prison sentences in each of the last 10 years.

Shaun Woodward: Detailed recording of monthly drugs monitoring statistics was introduced in March 2003 including information on where drugs are found within each prison establishment. Since then records show that a total of 693 prisoners were found to be in possession of unauthorised drugs and pharmaceuticals, including those which were not prescribed for that individual.
	
		
			  Number of prisoners found in possession of unauthorised drugs 
		
		
			 200304 296 
			 200405 273 
			 2005 to date 124 
		
	
	Figures prior to these dates are not available.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from his Department have (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.

Peter Hain: The information requested is not collected.

Pupil-teacher Ratio

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the pupil/teacher ratio was in Northern Ireland's (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) grammar schools in each of the past four years.

Angela Smith: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Pupil teacher ratios in Northern Ireland schools
		
			  Primary schools Grammar preparatory departments Secondary schools Grammar schools 
		
		
			 200102 19.9 16.9 13.8 15.3 
			 200203 19.7 17.2 13.8 15.3 
			 200304(29) 20.0 17.0 14.1 15.2 
			 200405 20.0 17.3 13.8 15.2 
		
	
	(29)Since 200304 the teacher figures used to calculate pupil: teacher ratios for primary and secondary schools have been compiled on a new improved basis, which involves verification with schools. Data since 200304 are not comparable with data prior to 200304.

Rented Accommodation

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much private sector rented accommodation is available in Northern Ireland, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

David Hanson: Information is collected on a district council rather than on a constituency basis. The most recent data currently available, from the housing executive's house condition survey 2001, is as follows:
	
		
			  District council area Number of private rented sector properties 
		
		
			 Antrim 1,400 
			 Ards 2,780 
			 Armagh 900 
			 Ballymena 1,650 
			 Ballymoney 500 
			 Banbridge 610 
			 Belfast 12,970 
			 Carrickfergus 680 
			 Castlereagh 1,130 
			 Coleraine 2,320 
			 Cookstown 840 
			 Craigavon 1,850 
			 Derry 2,690 
			 Down 1,600 
			 Dungannon and South Tyrone 1,780 
			 Fermanagh 1,520 
			 Larne 850 
			 Limavady 1,110 
			 Lisburn 3,010 
			 Magherafelt 720 
			 Moyle 630 
			 Newry and Mourne 2,080 
			 Newtownabbey 1,330 
			 North Down 2,420 
			 Omagh 1,220 
			 Strabane 810

Road Safety

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advertising campaigns relating to (a) drink driving and (b) speed reduction have been planned for the Christmas and new year periods in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: It is planned to run an anti-drink-drive advertising campaign from 23 November 2005 to 1 January 2006 as research, which is used to target government's road safety campaigns to when they are most effective, indicates that there are raised dangers resulting from drink driving over the Christmas and new year period.
	There are no plans to run an anti speeding campaign over the Christmas/new year period because research shows that June and October are the peak periods for speed related road traffic collisions.

Road Tax Detection

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been caught byroad tax detection devices in each of the last three years.

Angela Smith: On-the-road detection of vehicle excise duty evasion is undertaken by the PSNI, traffic wardens and through Driver and Vehicle Licensing's (DVLNI) Automated Number Plate Readers (ANPRs).
	Figures for ANPR detection in the last three years are 2002035,501, 2003046,024 and 20040512,543.

School Buses

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will seek to legislate to limit thenumber of pupils travelling on school buses to the number of seats fitted on each bus.

Angela Smith: The Department of the Environment is currently considering in detail the implications of implementing such a proposal in its assessment of the four key recommendations of the Northern Ireland Assembly's home to school transport public inquiry. It is expected that the findings of this work, which is being carried out in partnership with the Department for Regional Development and the Department of Education, will be published later this year. No decisions on the way forward will be made until this assessment is complete.

School Buses

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on seat belts in school buses.

Angela Smith: Education and Library Boards are providing a range of measures to improve the safety of their bus fleets. 65 per cent. of Board buses now have seat belts fitted compared with 47.5 per cent. in 2001. In all new Board vehicles, seatbelts are fitted as standard. The Department of Education has also provided Boards with funding of 4.25 million this year to replace existing school buses which have passed their replacement date. A further 1.4 million was made available to purchase additional Board vehicles to cover bus routes which are currently serviced by more expensive operators.
	The Department of the Environment is also currently considering in detail the implications of the provision of seat belts in all school buses in its assessment of the four key recommendations of the Northern Ireland Assembly's home to school transport public inquiry. It is expected that the findings of this work, which is being carried out in partnership with the Department for Regional Development and the Department of Education, will be published later this year. No decisions on the way forward will be made until this assessment is complete.

Secondary Schools

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications there have been to open integrated (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Northern Ireland this year; and what the requirements for additional (i) primary and (ii) secondary school places were in the areas where applications for schools were made.

Angela Smith: To date this year the Department of Education has received three applications in relation to integrated primary schoolsfor awarding grant-maintained integrated (GMI) status to Lir Integrated Primary School in Ballycastle (currently operating independently) and for the establishment of two new GMI primary schools one in the Moira/Hillsborough area and one in the Clogher Valley area. There has been one post-primary applicationfor a new GMI school in the Saintfield/Carryduff area. These are recently published proposals which are still subject to public consultation and therefore no decisions have yet been made on them.
	There is a statutory duty on the Department to encourage and facilitate integrated education and to respond to parental demand for integrated education. In making an assessment of each proposal he Department will consider a number of factors including the projected enrolments of the proposed schools and the pupil population in the surrounding area.

Social Workers

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many social workers have been recruited in each trust area in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: Information on the number of social workers recruited by HSS Trusts is not available. However, figures detailing the number of Social Services staff that have joined the HPSS in each of the last five years are given in the following tables. These figures include qualified social work staff and other social care staff such as day centre and unqualified residential workers (the figures do not include domiciliary workers or home helps). It has not been possible to provide a specific breakdown of the Social Services staff due to the complexity of the grade codes and the recent change in the title protection of the term 'Social Worker'.
	
		Number of social service staff joining the NI HPSS by HPSS organisation in each of the last five years (headcount)
		
			  March 
			 Trust 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 12 24 17 21 27 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 20 17 17 17 20 
			 Craigavon  Banbridge Community HSS Trust 32 27 31 30 35 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 2 0 1 3 1 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 31 41 47 49 44 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 36 43 44 37 48 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 37 34 43 59 55 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 20 19 21 21 26 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 56 41 95 85 101 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 32 29 39 43 47 
			 Sperrin/Lakeland HSS Trust 29 13 26 37 30 
			 Ulster Community  Hospitals Group HSS Trust 51 24 39 46 49 
			 Eastern Board HQ 0 0 3 1 1 
			 Southern Board HQ 1 0 0 1 1 
			 Western Board HQ 0 0 0 1 0 
			 NI Guardian Ad Litem Agency 3 2 0 1 0 
			 NI Social Care Council 0 6 0 1 0 
			 Total 363 321 423 453 485 
		
	
	Source:
	Human Resource Management Systems
	
		Number of social service staff joining the NI HPSS by HPSS organisation in each of the last five years (WTE)
		
			  March 
			 Trust 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Altnagelvin Group HSS Trust 0.90 0.90 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Armagh and Dungannon HSS Trust 12.00 22.60 15.30 19.95 25.55 
			 Causeway HSS Trust 19.05 16.05 14.96 15.55 17.02 
			 Craigavon and Banbridge Community HSS Trust 29.49 24.68 28.14 25.81 31.44 
			 Craigavon Area Hospital Group HSS Trust 2.00 0.00 1.00 2.50 1.00 
			 Down Lisburn HSS Trust 27.02 37.10 41.85 43.93 41.63 
			 Foyle Community HSS Trust 33.32 35.60 36.87 32.62 43.23 
			 Homefirst Community HSS Trust 34.40 31.97 39.22 55.82 53.70 
			 Newry and Mourne HSS Trust 17.79 18.03 20.23 18.25 23.35 
			 North and West Belfast HSS Trust 48.71 38.96 88.45 77.81 95.30 
			 South and East Belfast HSS Trust 31.35 27.52 35.84 39.97 42.97 
			 Sperrin/Lakeland HSS Trust 27.05 12.35 25.67 35.51 29.11 
			 Ulster Community and Hospitals Group HSS Trust 46.77 21.42 36.55 42.85 43.59 
			 Eastern Board HQ 0.00 0.00 3.00 1.00 1.00 
			 Southern Board HQ 1.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 
			 Western Board HQ 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.61 0.00 
			 NI Guardian Ad Litem Agency 2.76 1.67 0.00 1.00 0.00 
			 NI Social Care Council 0.00 6.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 
			 Total 333.61 294.85 387.08 415.18 449.89 
		
	
	Source:
	Human Resource Management Systems

Special Schools

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average funding per pupil was for children in special schools in each of the last five years, broken down by education board.

Angela Smith: The average cost for educational provision per pupil in special schools within the individual Board areas, broken down by Education and Library Board in the period 200001 to 200405 is as follows:
	
		
			  BELB NEELB SEELB SELB WELB Total 
		
		
			 200001 12,230,524 8,936,181 11,509,228 3,796,744 7,633,185 44,105,862 
			 Pupil numbers 1,381 965 1,283 331 825 4,785 
			 Average cost () 8,856 9,260 8,970 11,471 9,252 9,217 
			
			 200102 12,939,594 9,489,591 12,362,702 4,562,114 8,297,648 47,651,649 
			 Pupil numbers 1,387 981 1,311 373 795 4,847 
			 Average cost () 9,329 9,673 9,429 12,231 10,437 9,831 
			
			 200203 13,613,289 10,298,289 13,661,247 4,849,254 8,352,425 50,774,504 
			 Pupil numbers 1,370 976 1,280 383 791 4,800 
			 Average cost () 9,937 10,551 10,672 12,661.24 10,559 10,578 
			 200304 15,124,865 11,913,187 15,176,546 4,854,451 9,000,538 54,957,587 
			 Pupil numbers 1,368 1,000 1,289 386 802 4,845 
			 Average cost () 11,056 11,913 11,773 12,576 11,222 11,343 
			
			 200405 15,033,941 11,091,753 14,624,597 5,535,736 9,355,824 54,529,851 
			 Pupil numbers 1,365 1,000 1,257 391 788 4,801 
			 Average cost () 11,013 11,092 11,634 14,158 11,873 11,358 
		
	
	The Southern Education and Library Board only has special schools for children with Severe Learning Difficulties.
	The other four Boards have schools for children with both Moderate and Severe Learning Difficulties. This would largely account for the higher average cost for Southern Education and Library Board special schools.

Suicides

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many suicides there were in each region in the most recent year for which figures are available by young people aged 15 to 24, broken down by sex and expressed as (a) a percentage of all suicides and (b) the number ranked in descending order.

Angela Smith: The following tables give the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland for 2004 due to 'suicide and self-inflicted injury' 1 or 'undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted' 2 by local government district, sex and age-group. Mortality data for the 2004 registration year are provisional until the publication of the Annual Report of the Registrar General in autumn 2005.
	1 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes X60-X84, Y87.0.
	2 International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes Y10-Y34, Y87.2
	
		Number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in 2004 due to 'suicide and self-inflicted injury' or 'undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted' for males aged 1524 by local government district
		
			  Male deaths due to suicide and self-inflicted injury or undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted (2004) 
			 Local government district Aged 1524 All ages Percentage 
		
		
			 Belfast 7 21 33 
			 Ballymena 2 4 50 
			 Newry and Mourne 1 9 11 
			 Craigavon 1 8 13 
			 Banbridge 1 5 20 
			 Derry 1 5 20 
			 Omagh 1 4 25 
			 Cookstown 1 3 33 
			 Ballymoney 1 2 50 
			 Coleraine 1 2 50 
			 Limavady 1 2 50 
			 Strabane 1 2 50 
			 Ards 0 6 0 
			 Armagh 0 5 0 
			 Lisburn 0 5 0 
			 Antrim 0 3 0 
			 Down 0 3 0 
			 Fermanagh 0 3 0 
			 Larne 0 3 0 
			 Newtownabbey 0 3 0 
			 North Down 0 3 0 
			 Castlereagh 0 2 0 
			 Dungannon 0 1 0 
			 Magherafelt 0 1 0 
			 Carrickfergus 0 0  
			 Moyle 0 0  
			 Northern Ireland 19 105 18 
		
	
	
		Number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in 2004 due to 'suicide and self-inflicted injury' and 'undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted' for females aged 1524 by local government district
		
			  Female deaths due to suicide and self-inflicted injury or undetermined injury whether accidentally or purposefully inflicted (2004) 
			 Local government district Aged 1524 All ages Percentage 
		
		
			 Belfast 3 11 27 
			 Derry 1 6 77 
			 Strabane 1 1 100 
			 Fermanagh 0 4 0 
			 Ards 0 3 0 
			 Ballymena 0 2 0 
			 Castlereagh 0 2 0 
			 Down 0 2 0 
			 Lisburn 0 2 0 
			 Antrim 0 1 0 
			 Coleraine 0 1 0 
			 Craigavon 0 1 0 
			 Dungannon 0 1 0 
			 Limavady 0 1 0 
			 Newtownabbey 0 1 0 
			 North Down 0 1 0 
			 Omagh 0 1 0 
			 Armagh 0 0  
			 Ballymoney 0 0  
			 Banbridge 0 0  
			 Carrickfergus 0 0  
			 Cookstown 0 0  
			 Larne 0 0  
			 Magherafelt 0 0  
			 Moyle 0 0  
			 Newry and Mourne 0 0  
			 Northern Ireland 5 41 12

Surplus School Places

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library details of the methodology used by the Department of Education Northern Ireland to determine the number of surplus places in schools.

Angela Smith: The calculation of surplus places in post-primary schools, is based on the enrolment which can be accommodated by the total physical capacity of teaching spaces less the actual number of pupils attending.
	For primary schools, the methodology is based on the schedules of accommodation in the Department of Education Building Handbook for Primary Schools, which uses enrolment bands to determine the number of classrooms that a school should have eg the enrolment band for a seven classroom school is in the range 176205 pupils. Many primary schools have a number of classrooms which are not used for teaching purposes and therefore to make some allowance for these non-teaching classrooms, the methodology for calculating surplus places has deemed the capacity of each primary school to be the lower end of the enrolment band. The actual enrolment is subtracted from this to produce an estimate of the surplus places.
	I have arranged for this information to be placed in the Library.

Sustainable Development

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what has been identified as the most significant sustainable development impacts in relation to the operation of his Department's estate.

Peter Hain: The Department has established a comprehensive programme to deliver its sustainable development strategy. Key to that programme has been the establishment of a network of 'Green Champions' across the Department. This is a group of committed and enthusiastic individuals who collectively are driving forward the message of reduce, reuse and recycle in relation to the operation and management of the Department's estate.
	This answer only applies to the Northern Ireland Office and not to the 11 Departments of the devolved administration.

Tor Bank Special School

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress with completion of capital works at Tor Bank Special school in Dundonald; how the amount of finance allocated by the Department of Education for this project was calculated; when this finance was allocated; and how much remains unspent.

Angela Smith: It is expected that the invitation to negotiate for this public private partnership project (PPP) will issue to bidders before Christmas and that construction will start in the latter part of 2006. The estimated capital value of this project was calculated on the basis of construction, fees and furniture and equipment. As with all PPP projects, no financial allocation will be made until after a preferred bidder is appointed and the Department has approved the full business case. This is because thecunitary payment, which will be paid for the duration of the contract, does not commence until thecschool becomes operational.

Tor Bank Special School

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the replacement of Tor Bank special needs school is expected to commence; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Tor Bank special school was announced in 2002 as part of a public-private partnership cluster along with Lagan college. It is anticipated that the invitation to negotiate will issue to bidders for this project before the end of the year and that construction would start in the latter part of 2006.

Waste Management

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of (a) the performance of each council in Northern Ireland in waste management and (b) whether they are on course to meet their recycling targets.

Angela Smith: The Department reviews the annual performance reports submitted by the three district council waste management groups. The annual performance reports for 200405 will be reviewed and reported on in December 2005. This review will include an assessment of whether the district councils are on course to meet their targets. It is anticipated that not all district councils will meet the 25 per cent. recycling target for household waste in 200506. However, it is expected that most district councils will achieve a rate of at least 20 per cent. recycling of household waste.

Workplace Violence

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees in local government have been victims of offences of violence at work in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Statistics on instances of employees in local government who have been victims of offences of violence at work are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.